SOLUTION: Working with your cousin, you can refinish a table in 3 hours. Working alone, your cousin can complete the job in 4 hours. How long would it take you to complete the job?

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Question 425168: Working with your cousin, you can refinish a table in 3 hours. Working alone, your cousin can complete the job in 4 hours. How long would it take you to complete the job?
Found 2 solutions by solver91311, josmiceli:
Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!

If A can do a job in x time periods, then A can do of the job in 1 time period. Likewise, if B can do the same job in y time periods, then B can do of the job in 1 time period.

So, working together, they can do

of the job in 1 time period.

Therefore, they can do the whole job in:

time periods.

For the problem you gave, you have to back into the answer. You are given that (your cousin's time) and the final answer is . So substitute 4 in place of and then solve the resulting equation for

And man are you slow! You had better pick up the pace or you will get replaced by a Roomba with a paint brush attachment.

John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

Answer by josmiceli(19441) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let = my time to do job alone in hours
In words:
(1 table)/(4 hrs) + (1 table)/(t hrs) = (1 table)/(3 hrs)

Multiply both sides by

I take 12 hrs to complete job working alone
check answer:

OK