Question

If two inlet pipes can fill a pool in one hour and 30 minutes, and one pipe can fill the pool in three hours on its own, how long would the other pipe take to fill the pool on its own?

a) 2 hours
b) 3 hours
c) 4 hours
d) 4.5 hours

Answer 1

The other pipe would take 3 hours to fill the pool on its own.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find out how long it would take for the other pipe to fill the pool on its own, we need to find the rate at which the two pipes fill the pool together, and then subtract the rate at which the first pipe fills the pool. Let's say the other pipe takes x hours to fill the pool on its own.

The rate at which the two pipes fill the pool together is 1 pool per 1.5 hours, which is equivalent to 2/3 pool per hour.

The rate at which the first pipe fills the pool is 1 pool per 3 hours, which is equivalent to 1/3 pool per hour.

Therefore, the rate at which the other pipe fills the pool on its own is (2/3 - 1/3) pool per hour, which simplifies to 1/3 pool per hour. This means it would take the other pipe 3 hours to fill the pool on its own.