Ages differing by 16 — Problems on Ages Aptitude Question
Ages differing by 16: The ages of two people differ by 16 years. Six years ago the elder was three times as old as… Answer and worked solution on CodeKairo.
- Topic: Problems on Ages
- Section: Quantitative Aptitude
- Difficulty: Medium
- Time target: 90 seconds
Question
The ages of two people differ by 16 years. Six years ago the elder was three times as old as the younger. What is the younger's present age?
Options
- 12
- 14
- 16
- 20
Show the answer and the worked solution
Correct answer: B. 14
Worked solution
- Younger = y, elder = y + 16.
- Six years ago: (y + 16 − 6) = 3(y − 6) → y + 10 = 3y − 18 → 2y = 28 → y = 14.
- Check: six years ago 24 and 8. ✓
Answer: 14.
The idea
A fixed difference is the easiest way to introduce one variable. The difference stays 16 at every point in time, which makes checking trivial.
Shortcut. Six years ago the elder was three times the younger, so the fixed 16-year gap was two parts: the younger was 8 then and is 14 now.
Common trap. 16 tempts because it is the gap stated in the question, but a younger of 16 means 10 and 26 six years ago — not three times.