document.write( "Question 172347: brother can do the job in \"x\" hours and sister can do the job in \"y\" hours. if it takes them 4 hours to do the job working together, then what is the value of \"y\" ( multiple answers required. assume \" x\" and \"y\" are whole numbers) i tried x+y=4 and y= -x+4 \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #127288 by ptaylor(2198)\"\" \"About 
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

\n" ); document.write( "Brother works at the rate of 1/x of the job per hour
\n" ); document.write( "Sister works at the rate of 1/y of the job per hour
\n" ); document.write( "Together they work at the rate of 1/4 of the job per hour\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "So we have:
\n" ); document.write( "1/x +1/y = 1/4 multiply each term by 4xy
\n" ); document.write( "4y+4x=xy
\n" ); document.write( "subtract 4y from each side
\n" ); document.write( "4y-4y+4x=xy-4y
\n" ); document.write( "4x=y(x-4)
\n" ); document.write( "solve for y
\n" ); document.write( "y=4x/(x-4)
\n" ); document.write( "Not only do x and y need to be whole numbers, they also need to be positive numbers; that means that x cannot be 1, 2, 3 otherwise we have a negative values for y. Also, x cannot be 4. \r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Now we simply start assigning values for x>4 and see what we get:
\n" ); document.write( "x=5, y=20
\n" ); document.write( "ck
\n" ); document.write( "1/5+1/20=1/4
\n" ); document.write( "4/20+1/20=1/4
\n" ); document.write( "1/4=1/4
\n" ); document.write( "x=6, y=12
\n" ); document.write( "ck
\n" ); document.write( "1/6+1/12=1/4
\n" ); document.write( "2/12+1/12=1/4
\n" ); document.write( "1/4=1/4\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "You can carry on from here\r
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Hope this helps---ptaylor
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