SOLUTION: A small pump can fill a pool in one hour less than twice as long as a large pump. If the two pumps were working together, they would fill the pool in 72 minutes (6/5 of an hour).

Question 914409: A small pump can fill a pool in one hour less than twice as long as a large pump. If the two pumps were working together, they would fill the pool in 72 minutes (6/5 of an hour). How long would it take the small pump working alone to fill the pool? How long would it take the large pump?
Answer by richwmiller(17219) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
s=2b-1
1/s+1/b=5/6
1/(2b-1)+1/b=5/6
(3b-1)/(b(2b-1)) = 5/6
b=2
b=.3
check to see if either solution is extraneous

RELATED QUESTIONS
Two pumps working together can fill a water tank in 18 minutes. one pump works twice as... (answered by lwsshak3)

One pump can fill a water cistern twice as fast as a second pump. Working together, the... (answered by ankor@dixie-net.com)

One pump can fill a tank twice as fast as a second pump. If the pumps are used together,... (answered by stanbon)

one large pump can fill a swimming pool in 7 hours. a smaller pump takes 9 hours to fill... (answered by ikleyn)

Two pumps are available to fill a swimming pool. The larger pump can fill the pool in 8... (answered by mananth)

One pump fills a tank two times as fast as another pump. If the pumps work together they... (answered by Edwin McCravy)

One pump can fill a pool in 10 hr. Working with a second slower pump, the two pumps... (answered by nathany1280,josgarithmetic)

one gas pump fills a tank 2 times as fast as another gas pump. if the pumps work... (answered by josgarithmetic,MathTherapy)

how long will it take 3 pumps to empty a pool working together? pump one can empty in... (answered by jim_thompson5910)