SOLUTION: Three workers can do a job in 12 days. Two of the workers work twice as fast as the third. How long would it take one of the faster workers to do the job alone?

Algebra ->  Rate-of-work-word-problems -> SOLUTION: Three workers can do a job in 12 days. Two of the workers work twice as fast as the third. How long would it take one of the faster workers to do the job alone?      Log On


   

Question 801748: Three workers can do a job in 12 days. Two of the workers work twice as fast as the third.
How long would it take one of the faster workers to do the job alone?
Answer by josgarithmetic(39615) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Examine the rates of each worker. You have one slow worker and two fast workers. The slow worker needs 2d days to do one job, so 1%2F%282d%29 is this slow worker rate. The fast workers each could do one job in d days, so each of his rate is 1%2Fd job per day. The three workers acting together have the rate 1%2F12 jobs per day.

Using the original description, first sentence, and the rate expressions of the three workers, formulate the equation for these three workers when acting together:

highlight%281%2F%282d%29%2B1%2Fd%2B1%2Fd=1%2F12%29 since each rate adds simply. Solve for d. This will be how many days working alone one fast worker can do this 1 job.