==> logic/ages.s <==
The solution: Tim is 3, Jane is 8, and Mary is 15.  A little grumbling
is in order here, as clue number 1 leads to the situation a year and a
half ago, when Tim was 1 1/2, Jane was 6 1/2, and Mary was 13 1/2.

This sort of problem is easy if you write down a set of equations.  Let
t be the year that Tim was born, j be the year that Jane was born, m be
the year that Mary was born, and y be the current year.  As indefinite
years come up, let y1, y2, ... be the indefinite years.  Then the
equations are


y + 10 - t = 2 (y1 - j)
y1 - m = 9 (y1 - t)

y - 8 - m = 1/2 (y2 - j)
y2 - j = 1 + y3 - t
y3 - m = 5 (y + 2 - t)

t + 1 - m = 3 + y4 - t
y4 - j = 3 (y5 - 6 - m)
y5 - j = 1/2 (y6 - t)
y6 - m = 10 + y7 - m
y7 - j = 1/3 (y8 - t)
y8 - m = 3 (j - m)

t = y - 3
j = y - 8
m = y - 15