20. The sum of Gerald’s age and Fred is 53. Five years ago, Gerald was 7 years more than one-half as old as Fred. What are their current ages?

1 answer

If the current ages are f and g,

f+g=53
(g-5) = (f-5)/2+7

2(53-f-5) = f-5 + 14
f = 29
g = 24

check:
5 years ago, Fred was 24 and Gerald was 19

19-5 = (29-5)/2+7
14 = 14