Ben is 20 years older than Daniel. Ben and Daniel first met two years ago. Three years ago, Ben was 3 times as old as Daniel. How old is Ben now?

Question

I dont know how to set it up and how to find the answer.

Answer 1

The first thing to do is identify the unnecessary information (that they met 2 years ago).  

 

From there, let's go back three years ago.  We'll call Daniel's age x, and Ben's age will be 3x.  Ben's age is also equal to x + 20.

 

3x = x+ 20

 

2x = 20

 

x = 10

 

Daniel was 10 three years ago, and Ben was 30.  Now, Ben is 33.