Two pipes work together to fill the pool in 4 hours. The first pipe alone can fill it 6 hours faster than the second.

Two pipes work together to fill the pool in 4 hours. The first pipe alone can fill it 6 hours faster than the second. How many hours does the first pipe take to fill the pool?

Let the first pipe fill the pool in x hours, then the second will fill the pool in x + 6 hours. In one hour of working together they will fill 1/4 of the pool. We made an equation, solve it: 1 / x + 1 (x + 6) = 1/4 4 (x + 6) + 4x = x (x + 6) 4x + 24 + 4x = x ^ 2 + 6x x ^ 2- 2x-24 = 0 x1 = -4 <0 x2 = 6 x = 3 (hours)
Answer: The first pipe fills the pool in 3 hours.