It takes Shawn 4 more hours to stain a deck than Michelle To

It takes Shawn 4 more hours to stain a deck than Michelle. Together it takes them 4.8 hours to complete the work. How long would it take Shawn to stain the deck by himself?

Solution

Let shwan takes x hrs to stain a deck

Let Michelle take y hrs

Now x- y = 4 -----(1)

x + y = 4.8 ----(2)

Solve both equations for x and y:

Add both : 2x = 8.8

x = 4.4 hrs

y =0.4 hrs

Shwan takes 4.4 hrs to stain a deck