If the difference in ages between the two people is 16 years, then the elder person is 16 years older than the younger person. Let X be the present age of the younger person. The elder person is X + 16 years old. Six years ago, the elder person was X + 16 - 6 = X + 10 years old. At that time, the elder person was 3 times as old as the younger person, so the younger person was (X + 10)/3 years old. Six years ago, the younger person was X - 6 years old, so we can set up the following equation: (X + 10)/3 = X - 6 Solving this equation gives us X = 14. The present age of the younger person is 14 years, so the present age of the elder person is 14 + 16 = 30 years.