Problema Solution

Working together, two people can cut a large lawn in 3 hours. One person can do the job alone in 1 hour less than the other. How long would it take the faster person to do the job?

Answer provided by our tutors

Let x = the time the faster person need to do the job.

The time the slower person need is x + 1.

1/x+1/(x+1)=1/3

Multiply both sides by 3x(x+1):

3(x+1)+3x=x(x+1)

3x+3+3x=x^2+x

x^2-5x-3=0

x=(5+/-sqrt(25-4*1*(-3)))/2 = (5+/-sqrt37)/2

x=(5+sqrt37)/2 = 5.54