SOLUTION: Next-door neighbors Bob and Jim use hoses from both houses to fill Bob's swimming pool. They know that it takes 18 h using both hoses. They also know that Bob's hose, used alone, t

Algebra ->  Equations -> SOLUTION: Next-door neighbors Bob and Jim use hoses from both houses to fill Bob's swimming pool. They know that it takes 18 h using both hoses. They also know that Bob's hose, used alone, t      Log On


   



Question 1152113: Next-door neighbors Bob and Jim use hoses from both houses to fill Bob's swimming pool. They know that it takes 18 h using both hoses. They also know that Bob's hose, used alone, takes 70% less time than Jim's hose alone. How much time is required to fill the pool by each hose alone?
Found 2 solutions by josmiceli, greenestamps:
Answer by josmiceli(19441) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let +t+ = time to fill pool with Jim's alone
+t+-+.7t+ = time to fill pool with Bob
--------------------------------------------------
Add their rates of filling to get rate filling together
+1%2Ft+%2B+1%2F%28+t+-+.7t+%29+=+1%2F18+
Multiply both sides by +t%2A%28+.3t+%29%2A18+
+18%2A%28+.3t+%29+%2B+18t+=+t%2A%28+.3t+%29+
+5.4t+%2B+18t+=+.3t%5E2+
+.3t%5E2+-+23.4t+=+0+
+t%2A%28+.3t+-+23.4+%29+=+0+
+.3t+=+23.4+
+t+=+78+
and
+.3t+=+.3%2A78+
+.3t+=+23.4+
--------------------
Bob's hose alone takes 23.4 hrs
Jim's hose alone takes 78 hrs
------------------------------------
check:
+1%2Ft+%2B+1%2F%28+t+-+.7t+%29+=+1%2F18+
+1%2F78+%2B+1%2F23.4+=+1%2F18+
+.0128205+%2B+.042735+=+.055556+
+.0555555+=+.055556+
close enough

Answer by greenestamps(13198) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


The solution from the other tutor is a perfectly good formal algebraic solution.

If a formal algebraic solution is not required, here is an alternative method for solving the problem.

To fill the whole pool alone, Bob's hose take 70% less time than Jim's. So if the time required by Jim's hose is x, the time required by Bob's hose is x minus 70% of x, which is 0.3x.

So the ratio of the times required by the two hoses is 1:0.3, or 10:3.

In working together, then, the fraction of the job that Bob's hose does is 10/13, and the fraction Jim's hose does is 3/13.

We know that working together the two hoses take 18 hours to fill the pool.

So in 18 hours, Bob's hose fills 10/13 of the pool, and Jim's hose fills 3/13 of the pool.

That means the number of hours required for Bob's hose to fill the whole pool by itself is 18%2A%2813%2F10%29+=+23.4; and the number of hours required for Jim's hose to fill the pool by itself is 18%2A%2813%2F3%29+=+78.