SOLUTION: tim and brad are building a racecar.tim can build the car in 2 months less time than brad.together they can do the job in 7 months.how long will it take each of them if they work a

Question 382486: tim and brad are building a racecar.tim can build the car in 2 months less time than brad.together they can do the job in 7 months.how long will it take each of them if they work alone? give your answer to the nearest tenth...I would just like help setting this problem up to solve please.
Answer by stanbon(75887) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
tim and brad are building a racecar.tim can build the car in 2 months less time than brad.together they can do the job in 7 months.how long will it take each of them if they work alone? give your answer to the nearest tenth...
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brad time = x months
tim time = x-2 months
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brad rate = 1/x job/month
tim rate = 1/(x-2) job/month
together rate = 1/7 job/month
-----------------------------------
Equation:
rate + rate = together rate
1/x + 1/(x-2) = 1/7
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Solve for "x" and "x-2".
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Multiply thru by 7x(x-2) to get:
7(x-2)+7x = x(x-2)
7x-14 = x^2-2x
x^2-9x+14 = 0
---
(x-2)(x-14) = 0
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Only usable solution:
x = 14 months (Time for "brad".)
x-2 = 12 months (Time for "tim".)
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Cheers,
Stan H.
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===========================
Cheers,
Stan H.
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