document.write( "Question 1127387: Three postal workers can sort a stack of mail in 30 minutes, 30 minutes, and 60 minutes, respectively. Find how long it takes them to sort the mail if all three work together. \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #743784 by addingup(3677) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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To find out how quckly they can do it as a team, first we have to bring their individual results down to a common metric so that we can compare apples with apples. So let's first bring their rates to one stack:
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\n" ); document.write( "Worker 1: 1/30 (one stack/30 minutes)
\n" ); document.write( "Worker 2: 1/30
\n" ); document.write( "Worker 3: 1/60
\n" ); document.write( "1/30 + 1/30 + 1/60 = 1/minute
\n" ); document.write( "multiply all times 60:
\n" ); document.write( "2t + 2t + 1t = 60
\n" ); document.write( "5t = 60
\n" ); document.write( "t = 12 minutes. This is how long it will take the three working together.
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