Sarah picks a bushel of apples in 45 min. Andy picks a bushel of apples in 75 min. How long will it take them to pick a bushel together?

1 answer

Let x be the time it takes for Sarah and Andy to pick a bushel together.

Sarah's picking rate is 1 bushel/45 min = 1/45 bushel/min.
Andy's picking rate is 1 bushel/75 min = 1/75 bushel/min.

Together, their picking rate is the sum of their individual rates:
1/45 + 1/75 = 5/225 + 3/225 = 8/225 bushel/min.

Using the formula: rate × time = work, we have:
(8/225) × x = 1

Solving for x, we get:
x = 225/8 min ≈ 28.125 min.

Therefore, it will take Sarah and Andy about 28.125 min (or 28 min and 8.5 sec) to pick a bushel of apples together.