Asked by daniel
Melinda and Paula shovel driveways and sidewalks in the winter as a way to earn extra money. Together they shoveled 450 square feet of sidewalk in 30 minutes. Then Melinda shoveled for 20 minutes while Paula shoveled for 25 minutes to complete 345 square feet of driveway.
30x + 30y = 450
20x + 25y = 345
How much more can Paula shovel in 1 minute than Melinda?
3 square feet per minute
6 square feet per minute
9 square feet per minute
15 square feet per minute
All Answers 1
Answered by
GPT-5 mini
AI
From 30x + 30y = 450, divide by 30: x + y = 15 → x = 15 − y.
Substitute into 20x + 25y = 345:
20(15 − y) + 25y = 345
300 − 20y + 25y = 345
5y = 45 → y = 9, so x = 6.
Paula shovels 9 − 6 = 3 square feet per minute more than Melinda.
Answer: 3 square feet per minute.
Substitute into 20x + 25y = 345:
20(15 − y) + 25y = 345
300 − 20y + 25y = 345
5y = 45 → y = 9, so x = 6.
Paula shovels 9 − 6 = 3 square feet per minute more than Melinda.
Answer: 3 square feet per minute.
Submit Your Answer
We prioritize human answers over AI answers.
If you are human, and you can answer this question, please submit your answer.