Question

The first painter can finish a paint job in 2 hours. The second painter can finish the same job in 8 hours. How long would it take them to finish the job if they were working together?

Answer 1

Two painters can finish a job together in 1 hour and 36 minutes.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate how long it would take two painters to finish a job together, you can use the concept of work rates. The work rate is the amount of work that can be done in a unit of time. In this case, the first painter can complete the job in 2 hours, so their work rate is 1/2 of the job per hour. The second painter can complete the job in 8 hours, so their work rate is 1/8 of the job per hour.

To find the combined work rate of the two painters, you can add their individual work rates. So the combined work rate is 1/2 + 1/8 = 4/8 + 1/8 = 5/8 of the job per hour.

To determine how long it would take them to finish the job together, you can take the reciprocal of the combined work rate. So it would take them 8/5 hours or 1 hour and 36 minutes to finish the job together.

Answer 2

6 hours because the painter that took 8 hours which slow the one that takes two hours down