Marla is 20 years older than Angelina. In 5 years, Marla will be 3 times as old as Angelina. What will Marla’s age be in 3 years?

First, let’s define our two variables:

M = Marla’s age today

A = Angelina’s age today

Next, we can write two equations from the information presented in the problem stem.

Since Marla is 20 years older than Angelina, we have:

M = A + 20 (equation 1)

Since in 5 years, Marla will be 3 times as old as Angelina, we have:

M + 5 = 3(A + 5)

M + 5 = 3A + 15

M = 3A + 10 (equation 2)

Next, from equation 1, we can substitute A + 20 for M in equation 2, and then solve for A:

A + 20 = 3A + 10

10 = 2A

5 = A

Finally, we see that Angelina is 5 years old. Thus, Marla is currently 5 + 20 = 25 years old. So, in 3 years, Marla will be 28 years old.