Problem Solving: Real-life Rational Equations

Problem 1: Two People Painting a House Alice can paint a house alone in 10 hours, while Bob can do it in 15 hours. How long will it take them to paint the house together?

Problem 2: Biking and Walking Anna walks at 4 mph and bikes at 12 mph. If she travels 30 miles total and spends the same amount of time walking as biking, how far did she walk?

• 10 miles

• 8 miles

• 12 miles

• 15 miles

A car gets 20 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. If it travels 500 miles total and uses 20 gallons of fuel, how many miles were driven on the highway?

A cyclist travels 20 miles. He rides half the distance at 10 mph and the other half at 20 mph. What is his average speed for the entire trip?

• 13.33 mph

• 15 mph

• 12 mph

• 16.5 mph

A pool can be filled by a pipe in 5 hours, but there is a small leak that empties it in 15 hours. If the pipe is left open and the leak is not fixed, how long will it take to fill the pool? Fill in the blank: It will take ______ hours to fill the pool.

• 7.5 hours

• 5 hours

• 10 hours

• 15 hours