Problem 3. Borche's mother is three times older than Borche, and his father is four years older than Borche's mother. How old is each of them if together they are 88 years old?
Solution. Let's denote the age of Borche with $x$. Then Borche's mother is three times older, which is $3x$ years, and his father is four years older than his mother, which is $3x+4$ years. Since the total of their ages is 88, we get $x+3x+(3x+4)=88$, or $7x+4=88$. Thus, $7x=84$ and $x=12$. Therefore, Borche is 12 years old, his mother is 36, and his father is 40 years old.