HOW TO SOLVE WORD PROBLEMS WITH RATIONAL EQUATIONS

Solve each questions. Round your answer to the nearest hundredth.

Problem 1 :

It takes Mei 11 minutes to sweep a porch. Anjali can sweep the same porch in 12 minutes. Find how long it would take them if they worked together.

Solution:

Time taken by Mei = 11 minutes

Time taken by Anjali = 12 minutes

Problem 2 :

Mark can mop a warehouse in 9 hours. Jennifer can mop the same warehouse in 12 hours. How long would it take them if they worked together?

Solution:

Time taken by Mark = 9 hours

Time taken by Jennifer = 12 hours

Problem 3 :

Working together, Aliyah and Jaidee can pick forty bushels of apples in 5.09 hours. Had she done it alone it would have taken Jaidee 14 hours. How would it take Aliyah to do it alone?

Solution:

So, it take Aliyah done work is 8 hours.

Problem 4 :

Working alone, Nicole can mop a warehouse in 10 hours. One day her friend Stephanie helped her and it only took 5.45 hours. How long would it take Stephanie to do it alone?

Solution:

Problem 5 :

It takes Jaidee 10.7 hours to pick forty bushels of apples. James can pick the same amount in 14.6 hours. If they worked together how long would it take them?

Solution:

Problem 6 : 

Working alone, it takes Mike 9.9 minutes to sweep a porch. Jacob can sweep the same porch in 8.9 minutes. If they worked together how long would it take them?

Solution:

Problem 7 :

Working alone, Ryan can dig a 10 ft by 10 ft hole in five hours. Castel can dig the same hole in six hours. How long would it take them if they worked together?

Solution:

Ryan can dig a hole in 5 hours.

Portion of hole dig by Ryan in 1 hour = 1/5

Castel can dig a hole in 6 hours.

Portion of hole dig by Castel in 1 hour = 1/6

Problem 8 :

Ryan can paint a fence in ten hours. Asanji can paint the same fence in eight hours. If they worked together how long would it take them?

Solution:

Problem 9 :

Working alone, Dan can sweep a porch in 15 minutes. Alberto can sweep the same porch in 11 minutes. If they worked together how long would it take them?

Solution: