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Two containers are leaking water at different rates. One container has 100 gallons in it and is leaking out 3 gallons per minute. The other container has 150 gallons and is leaking out 5 gallons per minute. How many minutes will pass before they have the same amount of fluid? How much fluid will be in each tank?

A. 50 minutes, 50 gallons each
B. 25 minutes, 25 gallons in the 100-gallon container and 50 gallons in the 150-gallon container
C. 30 minutes, 60 gallons in the 100-gallon container and 90 gallons in the 150-gallon container
D. 20 minutes, 40 gallons in the 100-gallon container and 70 gallons in the 150-gallon container

1 Answer

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Final answer:

After 25 minutes, both containers will have 25 gallons of water remaining, as they lose water at the rates of 3 gallons per minute and 5 gallons per minute, respectively.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find out when two containers leaking water will have the same amount of fluid, we can set up an equation based on the rates at which they are losing water. Let t represent the time in minutes, and perform the following steps:

  • Start with the initial amounts of water in each container: 100 gallons and 150 gallons.
  • Calculate the loss of water per minute: 3 gallons per minute and 5 gallons per minute.
  • Set the equation 100 - 3t = 150 - 5t to find t when the amounts of water are equal.
  • Solve for t: 100 - 3t = 150 - 5t, which simplifies to 2t = 50; thus, t = 25 minutes.
  • Calculate the remaining water in each container after 25 minutes: 100 - 3(25) = 25 gallons in the first container and 150 - 5(25) = 25 gallons in the second container.

Therefore, the correct answer is 25 minutes, and both containers will have 25 gallons each.

User Tim Lytle
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