We are given a painter can paint 350 square feet in 1.25 hours.
We want to figure out the painting rate in square feet per hour. “Per hour” means for every 1 hour.
To find this, an equation like 350 = 1.25h (h for hours) can be set up. To solve, the only thing we need to do is divide by 1.25 to get h alone:
350/1.25 = 1.25h/1.25 or 280 = h
The painter can paint 280 square feet per 1 hour.
