Patty is, right now, 3 times as her brother Terry. in 10 years, the sum of their age will be 36. how old are they right now? show your work.

Patty at year x will be 3 times the age of his brother

In 10 years (year z) the sum of their age will be 36

36-20=16

(Twenty being ten years gained for each of them)

16 is now the sum of their age in year x

The following are options for the ages they could possibly be

1-15 (1*3 does not equal 15)

2-14 (2*3 does not equal 14)

3-13 (3*3 does not equal 13)

4-12 (4*3 equals 12) !

5-11 (5*3 does not equal 11)

6-10 (6*3 does not equal 10)

7-9 (7*3 does not equal 9)

8-8 (8*3 does not equal 8)

Therefore the answer would be:

Patty is 22 and his brother is 14