Math Is Fun Forum

tony123

Member

Registered: 2007-08-03

Posts: 229

ten dollars

A man and a boy agree to dig a patch of potatoes for ten dollars. The man can dig as fast as the boy can pull tops, and     he can pull tops twice as fast as the boy can dig. How should the money be divided?

Jai Ganesh

Administrator

Registered: 2005-06-28

Posts: 46,341

Re: ten dollars

Let digging be 1 parameter, say x, and pulling tops be another, say y. However, pulling tops is of no use until digging is completed. Hence I think the money should be divided equally. Maybe I am wrong!

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Khushboo

Member

Registered: 2007-10-16

Posts: 47

Re: ten dollars

Here there is two situation one when the man digs and the boy pulls the top and vice versa.

Man digging= pulling tops by the boy.........1
Boy digging.......2
2(Pulling the top by man).......2
If the first situation that is 1) holds true then the money should be divided equally that is 1:1
If the second situation that is 2) holds true then the money between the man:boy should be 2:1.

Still i have my doubts..please check with other members

Regards

Khushboo

John E. Franklin

Member

Registered: 2005-08-29

Posts: 3,588

Re: ten dollars

How they work together on the project is not calculatable from the small amount of evidence given.

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