A father has two daughters, Wendy and Julia. Wendy is …

Mathematics Questions

A dad has two daughters – Wendy and Julia. Wendy is twice as old as Julia. The man is now five times as old as Wendy, and in 4 years he will be six times as old as Julia. Find the present age of the father.

Short Answer

The problem involves defining Julia’s age as ‘a’ and Wendy’s as ‘2a,’ while the father’s age is ‘b.’ Using the relationships established, the equations can be solved to determine that Julia is 5 years old and her father’s age is 50.

Step-by-Step Solution

Step 1: Define Variables

To solve the age problem, we first need to define our variables clearly. Let’s designate Julia’s age as a years. Since Wendy is twice Julia’s age, we can express her age as 2a years old. Lastly, the father’s age is defined as b years old.

Step 2: Set Up Equations

With our variables defined, we must create equations based on the information provided. We understand two key relationships: the father is currently five times Wendy’s age (b = 10a) and in four years, he will be six times Julia’s age ((b + 4) = 6(a + 4)). Setting these up gives us two equations to work with.

Step 3: Solve the Equations

Now, we can solve the system of equations derived from Step 2. First, substitute b = 10a into the second equation to get 10a = 6a + 20. Simplifying this leads to a = 5, which is Julia’s age. Finally, substituting a back into the equation for b, we find the father’s age is b = 10a = 50.

Related Concepts

Variables

Quantities represented by letters (e.g., a, b) to define unknown values in equations.

Equations

Mathematical statements that express relationships between different variables, often used to formulate problems and find unknowns.

System Of Equations

A set of two or more equations with the same variables, which can be solved simultaneously to find the values of those variables.

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