Answer: 15.7 minutes
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x be the time in the beginning (in minutes).
Given: The track team is trying to reduce their time for a relay race.
First they reduce their time by 2.1 minutes.
Then they are able to reduce that time by 10
If their final time is 3.96 minutes, then
x-t1-t2= 3.6
x= 3.6+ t1+ t2
x= 3.6+ 2.1+ 10
x= 15.7
Hence, their beginning time was 15.7 minutes.