Three years ago, a man was 5 times as old as his son. If the man is currently 38 years old, how old is his son now?

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Q: Three years ago, a man was 5 times as old as his son. If the man is currently 38 years old, how old is his son now?

Solution: Let the son's age be x. Three years ago, the man was 35 and the son was x - 3. So, 35 = 5(x - 3). Solving gives x = 8.

Steps: 8

Step 1: Identify the current age of the man, which is 38 years old.
Step 2: Determine the man's age three years ago by subtracting 3 from 38. This gives us 35 years old.
Step 3: Let the son's current age be represented by 'x'.
Step 4: Calculate the son's age three years ago by subtracting 3 from 'x', which is 'x - 3'.
Step 5: According to the problem, three years ago, the man was 5 times as old as his son. This can be written as the equation: 35 = 5(x - 3).
Step 6: Solve the equation 35 = 5(x - 3) by first dividing both sides by 5, which gives us 7 = x - 3.
Step 7: Add 3 to both sides of the equation to find 'x'. This gives us x = 10.
Step 8: Therefore, the son's current age is 10 years old.