Final answer:
To solve the equation (x+28)/5 = 3x, multiply by 5, subtract x from both sides, and then divide by 14 to find that each student must work 2 hours on the project.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question involves solving for x in the equation (x+28)/5 = 3x, which models the workload of a class project in terms of the number of hours each student must contribute. To solve for x, we perform the following steps:
Multiply both sides by 5 to eliminate the fraction: 5 * (x + 28) / 5 = 5 * 3x, which simplifies to x + 28 = 15x.
Subtract x from both sides to get all the xs on one side: 28 = 15x - x, which simplifies to 28 = 14x.
Divide both sides by 14 to solve for x: 28 / 14 = x, or x = 2.
Thus, the number of hours each student must work on the project is 2 hours. This corresponds to option (a). Therefore, the correct option answer in the final answer is 2 hours.