Answer:
72.1 hours
Step-by-step explanation:
Let the number of hours be represented as: x
Fred's Fruit Stand has 252 pounds of fruit and sells 2 7/8 pounds per hour.
Convert 2 7/8 pounds to decimal = 2.875pounds
Hence:
252 - 2.875x
Gary's grocery Store has 285 pounds of fruit and sells 3 1/3 pounds per hour.
Convert 3 1/3 pounds to decimal = 3.333 pounds
Hence:
285 - 3.333x
How many hours until they have the same amount of fruit left?
This calculated by equating both equation together
252 - 2.875x = 285 - 3.333x
Collect like terms
-2.875x + 3.333x = 285 - 252
0.458x = 33
x = 33 / 0.458
x = 72.052401747 hours
x ≈ 72.1 hours
They would have the same amount of fruit left after 72.1 hours