Explanation

Let's represent the age of the son as "x" and the age of the father as "3x".

To solve for their ages, we can use the given information that the sum of their ages is 48.

1. Set up the equation:

- x + 3x = 48

2. Simplify and solve the equation:

- 4x = 48

- Divide both sides of the equation by 4:

- x = 12

3. Calculate the ages:

- The age of the son (x) is 12 years old.

- The age of the father (3x) is 3 * 12 = 36 years old.

Therefore, the son is 12 years old and the father is 36 years old.