Multiple choice

Thomas can paint the house in $6$ days while it takes Joe $12$ days to paint the same house. How long would it take Thomas and Joe, working together, to paint the house?

  1. $3$ days
  2. $4$ days
  3. $5$ days 
  4. $6$ days
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Thomas paints 1/6 of the house per day, and Joe paints 1/12 of the house per day. Together, their combined rate is 1/6 + 1/12 = 3/12 = 1/4 of the house per day. Therefore, it takes them 4 days to complete the entire house.

AI explanation

Using the LCM method, the total work is the LCM of 6 and 12, which is 12 units. Thomas does 2 units per day and Joe does 1 unit per day. Working together, their combined daily work is 3 units. Dividing 12 total units by 3 units per day gives 4 days.

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