SOLUTION: the larger of two printers being used to print the payroll for a major corporation requres 40 min. to print the payroll. After both printers have been operating for 10 min, the lar

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Question 727936: the larger of two printers being used to print the payroll for a major corporation requres 40 min. to print the payroll. After both printers have been operating for 10 min, the larger printer malfunctions. The smaller printer requires 50 more min to complete the payroll. How long would it take the smaller printer working alone to print the payroll?
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20060) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
the larger of two printers being used to print the payroll for a major corporation requres 40 min. to print the payroll. 
So the larger printer's payroll printing rate is 

1 payroll per 40 min or 1_payroll%2F40_min or 1%2F40payroll%2Fmin

>>...How long would it take the smaller printer working alone to print the payroll?...<<
Let the answer be x min

So the smaller printer's payroll printing rate is 

1 payroll per x min or 1_payroll%2Fx_min or 1%2Fxpayroll%2Fmin

>>...After both printers have been operating for 10 min, the larger printer malfunctions...<<

So the fraction of the payroll that the larger printer did in the 10 minutes
is 10_min%2Aexpr%281%2F40%29payroll%2Fmin = 1%2F4payroll.



>>... The smaller printer requires 50 more min to complete the payroll...<<


The smaller printer printed the entire 60 minutes.

So the fraction of the payroll that the smaller printer did in the whole 60
minutes is 60_min%2Aexpr%281%2Fx%29payroll%2Fmin = 60%2Fxpayroll.
 
Together they printed 1 payroll:

       %22%22%2B%22%22%22%22=%22%22%28matrix%283%2C1%2C+ONE%2CCOMPLETE%2CPAYROLL%29%29

             1%2F4%22%22%2B%22%2260%2Fx%22%22=%22%221

Multiply through by LCD of 4x

              x + 240 = 4x
                  240 = 3x
                   80 = x

It would take the smaller printer 80 minutes to print the entire payroll. 
   
Edwin