A mother is five times as old as her daughter. In 6 years, the mother will be three times as old as her daughter. How old is each now?

Answer: daughter = 6 years

mother = 30 years

Step-by-step explanation:

Let the daughter's age be x and the mother's age be y, then from the first statement

y = 5x ... equation 1

In 6 years time, the mother will be y + 6 and the daughter will be x + 6, from the second statement, we have

y + 6 = 3 (x + 6)

y + 6 = 3x + 18 ... equation 2

substituting equation 1 into equation 2, we have

5x + 6 = 3x + 18

5x - 3x = 18 - 6

2x = 12

x = 6

Therefore, the daughter's age is 6 years, then the mother's age will be 6x5 = 30 years