Ages

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Ages

by burgess » Fri Jun 27, 2014 12:06 am
Help me to solve my algebra 1 homework on ages

A person stated his as "Take my age three years hence, multiply it by 3 and the subtract three times my age three years ago and you will know how old I am" What is the age of the person?

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by [email protected] » Fri Jun 27, 2014 12:53 am
Hi burgess,

This sentence requires a bunch of translation, then some simple algebra, to solve:

"my age 3 years hence" = (X+3)

"multiply it by 3" = 3(X+3)

"subtract 3 times my age 3 years ago" 3(X+3) - 3(X-3)

"and you will know how old I am"....

3(X+3) - 3(X-3)

3X + 9 - 3X + 9

18

By your own admission, this is for a algebra homework (is it for the GMAT?). If you're having problems with translation, then you might consider talking to your teacher or investing in a tutor.

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by ceilidh.erickson » Sat Jun 28, 2014 9:33 am
The language and structure of this question are not at all GMAT-like. The GMAT will never use the first person (I, me) or second person (you, we) anywhere on the test, except perhaps in a quotation in RC or CR. Furthermore, a GMAT quant question will always ask you to solve for a value in a much more straightforward way. This question is phrased as a riddle, not a quant problem.

You should not study for the GMAT from non-GMAT-like sources.
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Harvard Graduate School of Education