Let's define \( x \) as the number of minutes that have passed since we started measuring the filling process for both machines.
-
For the first machine:
- It has already filled 180 cans.
- It fills cans at a rate of 15 cans per minute.
- The total number of cans filled by the first machine after \( x \) minutes can be expressed as: \[ \text{Cans filled by first machine} = 180 + 15x \]
-
For the second machine:
- It has already filled 210 cans.
- It fills cans at a rate of 12 cans per minute.
- The total number of cans filled by the second machine after \( x \) minutes can be expressed as: \[ \text{Cans filled by second machine} = 210 + 12x \]
To find out when the two machines will have filled the same number of cans, we can set the two expressions equal to each other: \[ 180 + 15x = 210 + 12x \]
Now you can solve for \( x \).
-
Rearranging the equation gives: \[ 15x - 12x = 210 - 180 \] \[ 3x = 30 \]
-
Dividing both sides by 3: \[ x = 10 \]
So, after 10 minutes, both machines will have filled the same number of cans of soup.