Ralph is three times as old is sarah. in six years ralph will be only twice as old as sarah will be then. find ralphs age now. which of the following equations can be used to solve the problem.

Let's begin by calling Sarah's age now as X. As Ralph is 3 times as old as Sarah, X times 3 = 3X. Hence, Ralph's age is 3X. In six years, Ralph will be twice as old as Sarah. To calculate six years from now, add 6 to X for Sarah, and 6 to 3X for Ralph. As Ralph is twice as old as Sarah and we want to find the difference between the ages to calculate X, multiply X+6 by 2. You'll get 2X+12. Therefore, 2X+12=3X+6. Deduct 6 from 3X+6 as we want to isolate the variable. Because you did that to one side, you have to deduct 6 from 2X+12. Hence, now you have 2X+6=3X. X=6. Ralph's age is 3X, so 6 times 3 is 18. Ralph is 18 years old. 

Your answer should be 1/3. i hope i could ! good luck : )