A man is 4 times as old as his son. In 20 years, he will be twice as old as his

A man is 4 times as old as his son. In 20 years, he will be twice as old as his son. What is the current age of the son?

A man is 4 times as old as his son. In 20 years, he will be twice as old as his son. What is the current age of the son?

Step 1: Let the son's current age be represented by 'x'.
Step 2: Since the man is 4 times as old as his son, we can express the man's age as '4x'.
Step 3: In 20 years, the son's age will be 'x + 20'.
Step 4: In 20 years, the man's age will be '4x + 20'.
Step 5: According to the problem, in 20 years, the man will be twice as old as his son. We can write this as the equation: '4x + 20 = 2(x + 20)'.
Step 6: Now, simplify the equation: '4x + 20 = 2x + 40'.
Step 7: Subtract '2x' from both sides: '4x - 2x + 20 = 40'.
Step 8: This simplifies to '2x + 20 = 40'.
Step 9: Now, subtract 20 from both sides: '2x = 20'.
Step 10: Finally, divide both sides by 2 to find 'x': 'x = 10'.

Algebraic Equations – The question tests the ability to set up and solve linear equations based on relationships between ages.
Age Problems – It involves understanding how to manipulate age-related problems over time.