Algebrainiacs

Have I got a problem from you.

A father is now 24 years older than his son.  In 8 years, the father
will be twice as old as his son will be then.  Find their present ages.

We could just ask them, but they’re made up.  No trouble finding the
answers, however:  the fictive kid is 16 and the fictive father is 40. 
So what’s the problem?  Showing work.  We have to lay down the
operations every step of the way.  Ph. and I have tried it a couple of
ways, but the equations both wind up coming out to 40.  And it’s about
process, not outcome, you see. 

Whatever comes of it, I will take algebra over the -ar verb conjugations in
odd contexts from last night’s Spanish homework and the chemistry of life test prep from Monday
night (heavy on vocab…ionic and covalent bonds, solute, solvent, suspension,
adhesion, cohesion, polar molecules). 

3 Comments

  1. I can’t help my children with their math homework any longer. They surpassed me a long time ago. I can help w/Chemistry, French and Spanish–

  2. Chemistry is probably the worst for me. I have to kick the rust off of my mathematical memory, but it’s good once it comes back. And Ph. is taking Spanish, which I know well enough to hound him about. But I think your kids are just a little bit older than mine, M. Give me another year and I’ll be no help with the math, too.

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