Question 187123
Rod agreed to mow a vacant lot for $12. It took him an an hour longer than he had anticipated, so he earned $1 per hour less than he had originally claculated. How long had he anticipated that it would take him to mow the lot?
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Let original estimated time be "x" hours.
Then original pay per hour = (12/x) dollars per hour
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New time to do the job: "x+1" hour.
Now original pay per hour = 12/(x+1) dollars per hour
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Equation:
orinal pay per hour - new pay per hour = 1 dollar
12/x - (12/(x+1) = 1
12  = x(x+1)
x^2 + x - 12 = 0
(x+4)(x-3) = 0
Positive solution:
x = 3 hrs. (original estimated time to do the job)
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Cheers,
Stan H.