The average age of a man and his son is 45 years. The ratio of their age is…

Concept

The average of two ages is their total divided by 2. If two ages are in the ratio 2:1, they can be represented as 2x and x.

Application

1. There are two people, so their total age is 2 × 45 = 90 years.

2. The ratio has 2 + 1 = 3 equal parts, so one part is 90 ÷ 3 = 30 years.

3. The man’s age is 2 × 30 = 60 years, and the son’s age is 30 years.

Cross-check

The average is (60 + 30) ÷ 2 = 45, and the ratio 60:30 simplifies to 2:1.

Therefore, the man and his son are 60 years and 30 years old, respectively.