Propositiones ad Acuendos Juvenes/Problems/37 - De Quodam Homine Volenti Aedificare Domum

by : Problem $37$

 * De Quodam Homine Volenti Aedificare Domum: A Man Wanting to Build a House
 * A man wanting to build a house contracted with $6$ builders,
 * $5$ of whom were master builders.
 * and the $6$th an apprentice,
 * to build it for him.


 * He agreed to pay them a total of $25$ pence a day,
 * the apprentice to get half the rate of a master builder.


 * How much did each receive a day?

Solution
Each of the master builders earns $4 \frac 6 {11}$ pence per day.

The apprentice earns $2 \frac 3 {11}$ pence per day.

Proof
Let $x$ pence denote the amount one master builder earns in one day.

Then we have:

It follows that the apprentice earns half that, that is $2 \frac 3 {11}$ pence, per day.