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Fifty minutes ago it was four times as many minutes past three o'clock. How many minutes is it to six o'clock..?

I have got the solution online but have doubts in it :

There are 180 minutes between 3 o'clock and 6 o'clock.
Call x the number of minutes to 6 o'clock.
Then it is 180 - x minutes past 3 o'clock and 50 minutes ago it was 130 - x minuted past 3 o'clock.
Using the 4 times as many minutes past three o'clock bit we can form the equation
130 - x = 4x and solve it
130 = 5x
x = 26 so yes it is 26 minutes.

According to me :

How it is 4x in above equation , it should be 4(180-x) , and new equation should be 130-x = 4(180-x) , because it says that it was 4 times as many minutes past 3:00 PM.

please explain. according to the solution if it is 4x on the RHS of the equation , then according to me the question is wrong , and should be written as :

Fifty minutes ago it was four times as many minutes to 6 o'clock.

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3 Answers

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The figure below may help explain (apologies for the sub-optimal formatting)

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I think the question means $4$ times as many minutes to $6$ o' clock from now.

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it says

Fifty minutes ago it was four times as many minutes past three o'clock

IT means X

WAS means =

FOUR TIMES means 4 *

AS MANY MINS PAST 3 means 130-X

so equation becomes X=4*(130-X); X=104 mins

How many mins past 3 = 130-X=130-104= 26mins

example If a Father's age is 2 times the age of Son and Son's age is 30yrs. then the equation will be X = 2*30; X = 60yrs. Not 2X = 30; X = 15yrs.

Hope this explains the above question.

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