A tank is filled by two pipes. Pipe A can fill the tank in 4 hours, while Pipe B can fill it in 6 hours. If both pipes are opened simultaneously, how long will it take to fill the tank?

["How Long Does It Take to Fill a Tank When Pipe A and Pipe B Work Together?", "When two pipes fill a tank simultaneously, combining their strengths speeds up the filling process. This practical scenario is common in plumbing, irrigation systems, and automated filling setups.", "In this case, Pipe A can fill the tank in 4 hours, meaning it fills 1/4 of the tank per hour.\nPipe B fills the tank in 6 hours, so it adds 1/6 of the tank per hour.", "When both pipes operate together, their rates are additive:", "[\n\ ext{Combined rate} = \frac{1}{4} + \frac{1}{6}\n]", "To add these fractions, find a common denominator. The least common denominator of 4 and 6 is 12:", "[\n\frac{1}{4} = \frac{3}{12}, \quad \frac{1}{6} = \frac{2}{12}\n]", "[\n\ ext{Combined rate} = \frac{3}{12} + \frac{2}{12} = \frac{5}{12}\n]", "This means together, the pipes fill 5/12 of the tank each hour. To find the time ( t ) required to fill the full tank, solve:", "[\n\frac{5}{12} \ imes t = 1\n]", "[\nt = \frac{12}{5} = 2.4 \ ext{ hours}\n]", "Converting 0.4 hours to minutes:\n( 0.4 \ imes 60 = 24 ) minutes", "Thus, both pipes together fill the tank in 2 hours and 24 minutes.", "### Summary", "- Pipe A fills the tank at 1/4 tank/hour\n- Pipe B fills at 1/6 tank/hour\n- Combined rate: 5/12 tank/hour\n- Time to fill the tank together: 2.4 hours = 2 hours and 24 minutes", "Understanding how to calculate combined work rates helps optimize scheduling in systems involving multiple filling sources—ideal for both everyday applications and engineering solutions.", "---", "Keywords: tank filling time, two pipes filling tank, pipe A 4 hours, pipe B 6 hours, combined rate calculation, plumbing math, water flow rates, filling time problem."]