If two people working together can do a job in 4 hours how long will it take the slower person to do the same job if one of them is 3 times as fast as the other?

If the quicker person takes x hours, then the slower person takes 3x hours.

1/x + 1/3x = 1/4
12+4=3x
x = 16/3
so, 3x = 16 hours for the slowpoke.

To solve this problem, we can first find the work rate or efficiency of each person, and then use that information to determine how long it will take the slower person to complete the job alone.

Let's denote the slower person's work rate as "x" (in units of the fraction of the job completed per hour). Since the faster person is three times as fast, their work rate can be represented as "3x" (three times that of the slower person).

Given that the two people working together can complete the job in 4 hours, we can set up the following equation based on their combined work rates:

1 job = (x + 3x) * 4 hours

Simplifying the equation, we have:

1 job = 4x * 4
1 job = 16x

To find the value of "x," we divide both sides of the equation by 16:

x = 1/16

Now that we know the slower person's work rate, we can determine how long it will take them to complete the job alone. Denoting the time it takes for the slower person to finish the job as "t" (in hours), we set up the equation:

1 job = x * t
1 = 1/16 * t

Simplifying the equation, we have:

t = 16

Therefore, it would take the slower person 16 hours to complete the job alone.