Question 58713
Barn painting.  Melanie can Saint a certain barn by herself in x days.  Her helper Melissa can paint the same barn by herself in 2x days.  Write a rational expression for the fraction of the barn that they complete in one day by working together.  Evaluate the expression for x = 5
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Melanie DATA:
Time = x days/job ; Rate = 1/x job/day
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Melissa DATA:
Time = 2x days/job ; Rate = 1/2x job/day
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Together data:
Rate= 1/x + 1/2x = 2/2x+1/2x= 3/2x job/day
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If x=5, Rate = 3/(2*5)=3/10 job in a day
Cheers,
Stan H.