Question

Jimmy and Phil are going on an annual fishing trip with their dad. Their goal is to catch 50 fish. Jimmy can catch 4 fish per hour. Phil can catch 4 in two hours. Their dad can catch 6 in two hours. How long will it take to catch 50 fish?

Answer 1

First, figure out how many fish each person can catch in one hour. We already know that Jimmy can catch 4. Since Phil can catch 4 in 2 hours, he can catch 2 in 1 hour. LIkewise, dad can catch 3 in one hour. So all together, they can catch 9 fish in one hour. If H is the number of hours it will take, we can set up the following expression: \[\frac{9\ fish}{1\ hour}(H\ hours) = 50\ fish \] or 9H = 50. Then just solve for H!