Question

A machine puts tennis balls into tennis ball cans. The machine is normally able to do 500 cases of tennis balls per hour. There are 24 cans in one case. Today, the machine is running a little slower than usual so it takes 0.1 seconds longer to load one can of tennis balls than it normally does. What is the machine's new rate in cases of tennis balls per hour?

Answer 1

To find the new rate at which the machine loads tennis ball cans per hour, the normal loading time per can must be calculated, then the additional slowdown is added, and the new number of cans per hour can be determined, from which the number of cases per hour is calculated.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the new production rate of a machine that is running slower than normal. Since the machine takes 0.1 seconds longer to load one can, first, we need to find out the normal time it takes to load one can by dividing the total number of seconds in an hour by the number of cases the machine fills in an hour, and then by the number of cans in a case.

1. Calculate the normal time per can: 3600 seconds/hour ÷ (500 cases/hour × 24 cans/case).
2. Add the additional 0.1 seconds to the normal time per can to find the new time per can.
3. Calculate the number of cans that can be loaded in an hour with the new time per can: 3600 seconds/hour ÷ new time per can.
4. Divide that number by 24 to find the number of cases per hour with the new rate.

By following these steps, the student will be able to calculate the machine's new rate in cases of tennis balls per hour