document.write( "Question 272384: Working together, Ethel, Beryl, and Cora can dig a drainage ditch in 3.5 hours. Working alone, Coral can do it in 10 hours, while Ethel can do it 2 hours faster than Beryl. How long will it take Beryl to dig the ditch by herself? (Round your answer to two decimal places.) \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #199284 by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! Working together, Ethel, Beryl, and Cora can dig a drainage ditch in 3.5 hours. \n" ); document.write( " Working alone, Coral can do it in 10 hours, while Ethel can do it 2 hours faster than Beryl. \n" ); document.write( " How long will it take Beryl to dig the ditch by herself? (Round your answer to two decimal places.) \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Let e = E digging alone \n" ); document.write( "Let b = B alone \n" ); document.write( "Let c = C alone \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "let the completed job = 1 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "It says c can do it in 10 hrs, so we have: \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "It also says e = (b-2), so we have \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "Which is \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "Multiply equation by: b(b-2); results: \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "b(3.5) + 3.5(b-2) = .65b(b-2) \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "3.5b + 3.5b - 7 = .65b^2 - 1.3b \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "7b - 7 = .65b^2 - 1.3b \n" ); document.write( "Arrange as a quadratic equation \n" ); document.write( ".65b^2 - 1.3b - 7b + 7 = 0 \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( ".65b^2 - 8.3b + 7 = 0 \n" ); document.write( "Solve this using the quadratic equation (a=.65, b=-8.3, c=7) \n" ); document.write( ": \n" ); document.write( "the solution that makes sense: b = 11.86 hrs, B working alone \n" ); document.write( " |