Question

Ram's father's age is 3 years more than two times Ram's age. Ram's father is 45 years old. Form an equation to find Ram's age.
A.\[2x + 3 = 45\]
B.\[3x + 2 = 45\]
C.\[6x + 3 = 45\]
D.\[5x + 1 = 45\]

Answer 1

Hint: Take Ram’s age to be \[x\]. Then read the question sequentially and form the equation going with it – read the first statement, use the information to add the data to the equation, then read the second statement and follow the same path.
The age of Ram’s father in the question is given to be 45 years. \[...(i)\]

Complete step-by-step answer:
Let the age of Ram be \[x\].
Reading the first statement, it says that his father’s age is 3 years more than the twice of his age.
So, since his age is \[x\], his father is going to be 3 years more than twice of \[x\],
or, his father is 3 years older than \[2x\]
or, his father is \[2x + 3\] years older than him. \[...(ii)\]
Now, given his father is 45 years old, we can equate \[(i)\] and \[(ii)\]to get to the required result, which is
\[2x + 3 = 45\]
Hence, the required answer is A. \[2x + 3 = 45\].

Additional Information
If we had to solve the question for the age of Ram, we would have taken the last obtained answer and solve it from there,
\[2x + 3 = 45\]
Taking 3 from L.H.S. to R.H.S. for getting all the constants on one side, we must change the sign of the 3 which is being shifted, i.e., it will become “-3” when it gets to the other side.
$\Rightarrow$ \[2x = 45 - 3\]
$\Rightarrow$ \[2x = 42\]
Taking the 2 from the L.H.S. to the R.H.S. so as to finally calculate the value of Ram’s age, we must divide it because when anything changes its side, it gets reversed in its operation – if it was being multiplied, it will be dividing then and vice-versa, and if it is being added, then it will subtract and vice-versa. So,
$\Rightarrow$ \[x = \dfrac{{42}}{2}\]
$\Rightarrow$ \[x = 21\]
Hence, Ram is 21 years old.

Note: From this question, we understood a very important point - when anything (a number or a variable) changes its side, it gets reversed in its operation – if it was being multiplied, it will be dividing and vice-versa, and if it is being added, then it will subtract and vice-versa.