Question

Janet, an experienced shipping clerk, can fill a certain order in 7 hours. Jim, a new clerk, needs 9 hours to do the same job.

Working together, how long will it take them to fill the order?

Answer 1

Janet and Jim will take approximately 3.94 hours to fill the order together.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we can use the concept of work rates. Janet can fill the order in 7 hours, so her work rate is 1/7 of the order per hour. Jim can fill the order in 9 hours, so his work rate is 1/9 of the order per hour. When they work together, their work rates add up. So, the combined work rate is 1/7 + 1/9 = 16/63 of the order per hour. To find how long it will take them to fill the order together, we can divide the total work (1 order) by their combined work rate:

1 / (16/63) = 63/16

Therefore, it will take them approximately 3.94 hours to fill the order together.