thomas the drum major, can cross the football field in 1/3 the time that carl, the tuba player can. If the sum of the two boys' times is 4.8 minutes, how many minutes does it take carl to cross the football field?
Let's assume that it takes Carl, the tuba player, x minutes to cross the football field.
According to the given information, Thomas, the drum major, takes 1/3 of Carl's time to cross the field, so Thomas takes (1/3)x minutes.
The sum of the two boys' times is 4.8 minutes, so we can write the equation:
x + (1/3)x = 4.8
Multiplying both sides of the equation by 3 to eliminate the denominator:
3x + x = 14.4
Combining like terms:
4x = 14.4
Dividing both sides of the equation by 4:
x = 14.4 / 4
x = 3.6
So, it takes Carl, the tuba player, 3.6 minutes to cross the football field. Answer: \boxed{3.6}.