Applications
Applications
There are many applications of rational functions. One application uses rationals to determine how much time it will take two people to complete a job if you know how long it will take each one individually.Example Emma can paint the fence in her yard in 6 hours. Cora can paint the same fence in 8 hours. How long will it take for them to paint the fence together?
Step 1. Emma can paint 1/6 of the fence in one hour and Cora can paint 1/8 of the fence in one hour.
Let x represent the total time it will take the two girls to paint the fence. Then, use the following equation to help solve this application.
![RationalApp1-2 RationalApp1-2](https://claregladwinresd.glk12.org/pluginfile.php/937/mod_book/chapter/262/Rational_Functions/Images/RationalApp1-2.png)
Step 2. Use the rules for adding rational numbers to solve for x.
![RationalApp1-3 RationalApp1-3](https://claregladwinresd.glk12.org/pluginfile.php/937/mod_book/chapter/262/Rational_Functions/Images/RationalApp1-3.png)
It will take Emma and Cora 3.43 hours to paint the fence together.