Operations & Word Problems

Depth · one concept from first principles · step 2 of 4

Subtract team rates to isolate one worker

Three team-ups of A, B, C finish a job in 6, 9, and 12 days. Find what fraction of the job A and B together finish in one day.
ExpressionsNumber system
Your answer
How to solve
Strategy Convert to Algebra — Call the whole job 1 and let each person's daily share be an unknown. Each team-up then says what a sum of daily shares equals. Taking a two-person team away from the three-person team leaves one person's share.
1STEP 1

Turn days into daily shares

Let A, B, C do x, y, z of the job per day. A team that needs 6 days does 1/6 of the job each day.

x + y + z = 1/6, x + z = 1/9, y + z = 1/12
2STEP 2

Find A's share

Take the B-and-C team away from the whole team; what is left is A.

x = 1/6 - 1/12 = 2/12 - 1/12 = 1/12
3STEP 3

Find B's share

Take the A-and-C team away from the whole team; what is left is B.

y = 1/6 - 1/9 = 3/18 - 2/18 = 1/18
4STEP 4

Add A and B

Together A and B do the sum of their daily shares.

1/12 + 1/18 = 3/36 + 2/36 = 5/36
Answer
5/36
C's share is 1/9 - 1/12 = 1/36. Then 3/36 + 2/36 + 1/36 = 6/36 = 1/6, matching the 6-day team. A and B alone would need 36/5 = 7 1/5 days, more than the 6 days with C's help, as expected.
Takeaway

Call the whole job 1; then every team is just a sum of daily shares, and subtracting teams picks out individuals.

  • Turn days into daily shares
  • Find A's share
  • Find B's share
  • Add A and B
Where next?
Another one like thissuggested

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▶ Practice — 12 problems

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