Question

Write and equation and solve:

Mr. Jones is 28 years older than his son. In 11 years he will be 3 times as old as his son. How old is each now?

Answer 1

M = Age of Mr. Jones
S = Age of son

"Mr. Jones is 28 years older than his son"

M = S + 28

Okay, now you translate the other piece of the problem statement and see where it goes.

Answer 2

What is the first step? I don't understand what you said

Answer 3

The first step is naming those parts that are missing. Often, this is what is asked for in the problem statement. This was the first two lines I offered.

The second step is translating the problem statement in terms of the definitions just created. This was the next thing shown above. The task of translating the rest of the problem statement was left to you.

" In 11 years he will be 3 times as old as his son."

If Mr. Jones is M years old, now, how old will he be in 11 years?
If the son is S years old, now, how old will he be in 11 years?