Question

A business is using two painters to paint 3 offices, each with 1,200 square feet of wall space. one painter can paint 190 square feet per hour. the other painter can paint 130 square feet per hour. how long will it take the two painters working together to paint the 3 offices?

Answer 1

To determine the total time it needs for the two painters to completely paint the whole wall space, we need to relate the total area of the wall to be painted and the time they need. So, base from the problem, the relation would just be a linear function. We do as follows:

let A = total area of the wall space
     t = total time they both need

Painter 1 = 190 square feet per hour
Painter 2 = 130 square feet per hour
total area = 1200 ft^2 (3) = 3600 ft^2

The function would be:

A = 190t + 130t
3600 = 190t + 130t
3600 = 320t
t = 11.25 hrs