Answer:
4 hours
Explanation:
Let the number of hours = x.
Jay reads 55 pages per hour, so in x hours, he reads 55x pages.
After reading for x hours, he has 278 - 55x pages left to read.
Odhran reads 45 pages per hour, so in x hours, he reads 45x pages.
After reading for x hours, he has 238 - 45x pages left to read.
Since we want to know when they have the same number of pages left, we set the expressions equal and solve for x.
278 - 55x = 238 - 45x
Add 45x to both sides.
278 - 10x = 238
Subtract 278 from both sides.
-10x = -40
Divide both sides by -10.
x = 4
Answer: 4 hours