How many minutes is to if before midnight 70 minutes ago it was 4 times as many minutes past 9 p.m.?

To solve the problem, we need to determine the time before midnight. If 70 minutes ago it was 4 times as many minutes past 9 p.m., we set up the equation: let ( x ) be the number of minutes past 9 p.m. then ( 70 ) minutes ago it was ( x ) minutes past 9 p.m. Therefore, the time is ( x = 70/4 = 17.5 ) minutes past 9 p.m., meaning it was 9:17:30 p.m. 70 minutes ago. Adding 70 minutes brings us to 10:27:30 p.m., which is 32.5 minutes before midnight.