Problema Solution

A person X can clean up all of the crime in a city in 4 hr working alone. Person Y can do the same job alone in 10 hr. If person Y starts crime fighting at 9 A.M. and person X joins him at 12 Noon, at what time will they have all the crime cleaned up?

Answer provided by our tutors

the rate of person X is 1/4 of crime per hour


the rate of person Y is 1/10 of crime per hour


Y starts at 9 AM and until 12 Noon that is 3 hours works alone


let t = the time that X and Y work together (in hours)


(t + 3)*(1/4) + t*(1/10) = 1


by solving we find:


t = 5/7 hr


t = 5*60/7 min


t = 43 min approximately


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the crime will be all cleared up at 12:43 pm.