Ted can mow the lawn in 5 minutes by using his power mower. Galen takes 15 minutes to mow the same lawn using a push-type mower. How many minutes would the job take if the two boys worked together?

If t is the time working together, which of the following expressions represents the portion of the job that Ted will complete when the guys work together?

For the answer to the question above,
Minutes needed to complete full job:
Ted = 5 minutes
Galen = 15 minutes
Together = x

Amount of job completed per minute:
Ted = 1/5 of lawn
Galen = 1/15 of lawn
Together = 1/x of lawn

Equation:
1/5 + 1/15 = 1/x
3/15 + 1/15 = 1/x
4/15 = 1/x
(4/15)x = 1
x = 15/4
So the answer is 3 3/4 minutes (15/4)

Answer Link

chisnau chisnau · Answer 2 · 2019-08-17T00:29:57-04:00

Answer:

\(\frac{t}{5}\) represents the portion of the job that Ted will complete when the guys work together.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let t be the time working together.

Given is : Ted can mow the lawn in 5 minutes by using his power mower. Galen takes 15 minutes to mow the same lawn using a push-type mower.

Working together, they are going to complete 1 job.

So, we can show this as:

\(\frac{t}{5} +\frac{t}{15} =1\)

=> \(\frac{3t+t}{15}=1\)

=> \(\frac{4t}{15}=1\)

=> \(4t=15\)

t = 3.75 minutes

So, while working together, they will take 3.75 minutes.

\(\frac{t}{5}\) represents the portion of the job that Ted will complete when the guys work together.