Ruth is five years older than Tom. Two years from now, Tom will be 5 years old. Find the sum of their ages three years from now.

Let Tom's age be x, and Ruth's age is x + 5. In two years, Tom will be 5 years old.That means Tom is 5 - 2 = 3 years old. Ruth's age is x + 5 = 3 + 5 = 8 years old. Three years from now: Tom = 3 + 3 = 6 years Ruth = 8 + 3 = 11 years The sum of their ages is 11 + 6 = 17 years old.