How old is Edward?

Explanation:

To solve the age word problem, we establish that the difference in ages between Edward and Benjamin is constant and use an equation to find out that Edward is also 36 years old.

We have an age word problem that can be solved by setting up an equation. Let's denote Edward's current age as E and Benjamin's current age as B. We are told that Benjamin is currently 36 years old, so B = 36.

The problem states that Edward is as old as Benjamin used to be when Edward was as old as Benjamin is now. This can be interpreted as the difference in their ages remaining constant over time. Let's call this constant difference d.

Thus, when Edward was 36 (the age Benjamin is now), Benjamin was 36 + d. Because E is the age Benjamin used to be, we now have E = 36 + d.

We also know that Edward is younger than Benjamin, so Edward's age is B - d, which means E = 36 - d.

Putting this information together, we get the equation 36 + d = 36 - d. Solving for d we get:

d = 0, which implies Edward and Benjamin are the same age. Hence, Edward is also 36 years old.