document.write( "Question 1038207: Paul can do a certain job in half the time that Jim requires to do it. Jim worked alone for an hour and stopped; then Paul completed the job in 10 hours. What length of time, in hours, would Paul, working alone, take to do the whole job? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #853864 by KMST(5337) $\"\"$ $\"About$

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Jim worked alone for $\"1\"$ hour and stopped.
\n" ); document.write( "Paul comes in, sees the work Jim did in $\"1\"$ hour and says
\n" ); document.write( "\"It would have taken me $\"1%2F2\"$ to do that. I do any job in half the time it takes Paul to do it\"
\n" ); document.write( "After Paul worked another $\"10\"$ hours, the job was finished.
\n" ); document.write( "Then Jim said \"SEE!, I could have done the whole thing in $\"10%2B1%2F2=highlight%2810.5%29\"$ hours. I may only have a fourth-grade education, but I can work twice as fast as Paul, without knowing what algebra is about.\"
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\n" ); document.write( "The problem with mananth solution seems to be that after getting to
\n" ); document.write( "((x-1)/x)/(2/x)=10 or $\"%28%28x-1%29%2Fx%29%2F%282%2Fx%29=10\"$ mananth apparently thought
\n" ); document.write( "\"I could simplify the left side expression by writing it as $\"%28%28x-1%29%2Fx%29%28x%2F2%29\"$ because dividing by $\"2%2Fx\"$ is multiplying times $\"x%2F2\"$ to end with $\"%28x-1%29%2Fx\"$ on the left and a simple expression on the right.
\n" ); document.write( "or I could simplify the equation by multiplying both sides by $\"2%2Fx\"$ \"
\n" ); document.write( "Then mananth had one of those brain-farts and multiplied the left hand side times $\"2%2Fx\"$ and the right hand side times $\"x%2F2\"$ ending with $\"%28x-1%29%2Fx\"$ on the left and $\"10%28x%2F2%29=5x\"$ on the right.
\n" ); document.write( "Keeping the equal sign in between, mananth concluded that Jim could have done the whole job in 2 hours, forgetting that it took Jim 10 hours to do part of the job.
\n" ); document.write( "We we all have one of those brain farts now and then. One professor told about answering a problem on a radio station show by saying that the top of an 8 foot ladder leaning again the side of a house would be 10 feet above the ground. \n" ); document.write( "

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