TJ, Max, and Misha are all the same age. The sum of their ages is s years. How old was TJ eight years ago?
Sum up the ages of these three guys: t+x+m=s
TJ's present age is s/3. Eight years ago his age was s/3 - 8.
Number 2
Alex is 3 times as old as he was 2 years ago. How old is he now? Let his age NOW be a. His age, a, right now, is 3(a-2), or 3a-6.
Solve a = 3a - 6 for a: 6 = 2a; a = 3. Alex is 3 years old now.
Strange problem! But a=3 years is a valid solution.
2 years ago, Alex was 1 year old. Three times that is 3 (his current age).
