* The person's age?
* The number of years between two events?
* The person's age at a particular event?
* The number of years that have passed?
* Or something else entirely?
Those aren't interchangeable.
## Read the Question Literally
This is the most important strategy for solving trick questions.
Don't begin calculating immediately.
Read the entire question.
Then ask:
**What information is actually given?**
Next:
**What information is being requested?**
Finally:
**What mathematical relationship connects the two?**
This simple process prevents many common mistakes.
A puzzle can contain several numbers without all of them being relevant to the final calculation.
Likewise, a sentence can contain words that completely change the meaning of an otherwise straightforward equation.
## The Difference Between Age and Years Passed
One of the most common traps in age puzzles is confusing someone's age with the amount of time that has passed.
Imagine a fictional example:
A woman is 50 years old today.
