SOLUTION: Hi, I need your help in solving this problem. I find it hard and I can't come up with a better solution. Thank you. It takes John 5 hours to paint a house. It takes Bob 3 hour

Question 140083: Hi, I need your help in solving this problem. I find it hard and I can't come up with a better solution. Thank you.

It takes John 5 hours to paint a house. It takes Bob 3 hours to paint the same house. How long will it take to paint the house if both of them work together?
Answer by scott8148(6628) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
when people work together to complete a task,
__ each person completes some fraction of the task based on their individual rate

for example __ if Mike can build a shed in 10 hours,
__ when he works with a group that can build it in 3 hrs; Mike does 3/10 or 30% of the job

the individual fractions sum to 1, the whole task

let x=time together __ x/5+x/3=1 __ multiplying by 15 __ 3x+5x=15 __ 8x=15

dividing by 8 __ x=15/8 __ x=1.875
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