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)\"\" \"About 
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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
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\n" ); document.write( "let the completed job = 1
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( "\"3.5%2Fe\" + \"3.5%2Fb\" + \"3.5%2Fc\" = 1
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( "It says c can do it in 10 hrs, so we have:
\n" ); document.write( "\"3.5%2Fe\" + \"3.5%2Fb\" + \"3.5%2F10\" = 1
\n" ); document.write( ":
\n" ); document.write( "It also says e = (b-2), so we have
\n" ); document.write( "\"3.5%2F%28b-2%29\" + \"3.5%2Fb\" + \"3.5%2F10\" = 1
\n" ); document.write( "Which is
\n" ); document.write( "\"3.5%2F%28b-2%29\" + \"3.5%2Fb\" + .35 = 1
\n" ); document.write( "\"3.5%2F%28b-2%29\" + \"3.5%2Fb\" = 1 - .35
\n" ); document.write( "\"3.5%2F%28b-2%29\" + \"3.5%2Fb\" =.65
\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)
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\n" ); document.write( "3.5b + 3.5b - 7 = .65b^2 - 1.3b
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\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)
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\n" ); document.write( "the solution that makes sense: b = 11.86 hrs, B working alone
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