2001 AMC 8 Problems/Problem 15

Problem

Homer began peeling a pile of 44 potatoes at the rate of 3 potatoes per minute. Four minutes later Christen joined him and peeled at the rate of 5 potatoes per minute. When they finished, how many potatoes had Christen peeled?

$\text{(A)}\ 20 \qquad \text{(B)}\ 24 \qquad \text{(C)}\ 32 \qquad \text{(D)}\ 33 \qquad \text{(E)}\ 40$

Solution

After the $4$ minutes of Homer peeling alone, he had peeled $4\times3=12$ potatoes. This means that there are $44-12=32$ potatoes left. Once Christen joins him, the two are peeling potatoes at a rate of $3+5=8$ potatoes per minute. So, they finish peeling after another $\frac{32}{8}=4$ minutes. In these $4$ minutes, Christen peeled $4\times5=20$ potatoes, $\boxed{\text{A}}$

2001 AMC 8 (Problems • Answer Key • Resources)
Preceded by Problem 14	Followed by Problem 16
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All AJHSME/AMC 8 Problems and Solutions

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2001 AMC 8 Problems/Problem 15

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