Problema Solution
A clerical worker takes 4 times as long to finish a job as it does an executive secretary. Working together, it takes them 5 hours to finish the job. How long would it take the clerical worker, working alone, to finish the job?
Answer provided by our tutors
Let
x = the time in hours, that the executive worker needs to finish the job alone
1/x job per hour is the executive worker's rate
4x = the time in hours, that the clerical worker needs to finish the job alone
1/(4x) job per hour is the clerical worker's rate
1/x + 1/(4x) = 1/5
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click here to see the equation solved for x
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x = 25/4 hr
4*(25/4) = 25 hr
The clerical worker needs 25 hours to finish the job alone.