Question 372353
My cat Archimedes can rid my garage of mice twice as fast as my neighbor's cat, Pythagoras. If they joined forces, they can clear a garage in a mere two hours. In how many hours does it take for each of these felines to clear a garage of mice working alone?
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Let Arch time = x hrs/job ; Arch rate = 1/x job/hr
Pyth time = 2x hrs/job ; Pyth rate = 1/(2x) job/hr
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Together time = 2 hr/job ; together rate = 1/2 job/hr
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Equation:
rate + rate = together rate
1/x + 1/(2x) = 1/2
2 + 1 = x
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Arch time = x = 3 hrs
Pyth time = 2x = 6 hrs.
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Cheers,
Stan H.