Problem 4. Each of the two workers was assigned to process the same number of parts. The first completed the work in 8 hours. The second spent more than 2 hours on setting up the equipment and with its help finished the work 3 hours earlier than the first. It is known that the second worker processed as many parts in 1 hour after the equipment started as the first did by that time. By what factor does the equipment increase labor productivity?
Answer: 4 times.

Solution: Let $x$ be the time spent on equipment setup. Then the second worker worked (on the equipment) $8-3-x=5-x$ hours, producing as much per hour as the first worker in $x+1$ hours. Therefore, $\frac{8}{5-x}=\frac{x+1}{1}$. We get $x^{2}-4 x+3=0$. But by the condition $x>2$, so $x=3$, and the required ratio is $\frac{x+1}{1}=4$.