It took Dad 5 more than twice as long to vacuum upstairs then to vacuum downstairs. He vacuumed for a total of 38 minutes. How many minutes did he vacuum upstairs?
Define a variable ** Let D = time in minutes to vacuum downstairs
How long did it take to vacuum upstairs? ** Upstairs = 2D + 5 minutes
Write an equation ** 3D + 5 = 38
Simplify ** 3D = 33
Divide by 3 ** D = <<11=11>>11 minutes
How long did it take to vacuum upstairs? ** Upstairs = (2 * 11) + 5 = <<(2*11)+5=27>>27 minutes
How long did it take to vacuum upstairs? ** Dad took 27 minutes to vacuum upstairs.
#### 27