TIME AND WORK
In these problems the number of persons, quantity of work done and time taken are important factors. Also time taken by a person depends on the efficiency of that person which comes into picture when different people do the work such as women, children do the work alongside the men. The problems related to time and work can be solved by two major approaches – ratio & proportions and unitary method. Let us proceed to find some formulae related to these questions.
Important Formulas – Time and Work
- If A can do a piece of work in n days, work done by A in 1 day = 1/n
- If A does 1/n work in a day, A can finish the work in n days
- If M1 men can do W1 work in D1 days working H1 hours per day and M2 men can do W2 work in D2 days working H2 hours per day (where all men work at the same rate), then
M1 D1 H1 / W1 = M2 D2 H2 / W2
- If A can do a piece of work in p days and B can do the same in q days, A and B together can finish it in pq / (p+q) days
- If A is thrice as good as B in work, then
Ratio of work done by A and B = 3 : 1
Ratio of time taken to finish a work by A and B = 1 : 3
SOLVED EXAMPLES
Level 1
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1. P is able to do a piece of work in 15 days and Q can do the same work in 20 days. If they can work together for 4 days, what is the fraction of work left? |
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A. 8/15 |
B. 7/15 |
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C. 11/15 |
D. 2/11 |
Answer : Option A
Explanation :
Amount of work P can do in 1 day = 1/15
Amount of work Q can do in 1 day = 1/20
Amount of work P and Q can do in 1 day = 1/15 + 1/20 = 7/60
Amount of work P and Q can together do in 4 days = 4 × (7/60) = 7/15
Fraction of work left = 1 – 7/15= 8/15
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2. A can do a piece of work in 4 hours . A and C together can do it in just 2 hours, while B and C together need 3 hours to finish the same work. B alone can complete the work in — hours. |
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A. 12 hours |
B. 6 hours |
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C. 8 hours |
D. 10 hours |
Answer : Option A
Explanation :
Work done by A in 1 hour = 1/4
Work done by B and C in 1 hour = 1/3
Work done by A and C in 1 hour = 1/2
Work done by A,B and C in 1 hour = 1/4+1/3 = 7/12
Work done by B in 1 hour = 7/12 – 1/2 = 1/12
=> B alone can complete the work in 12 hours
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3. A completes 80% of a work in 20 days. Then B also joins and A and B together finish the remaining work in 3 days. How long does it need for B if he alone completes the work? |
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A. 37 ½ days |
B. 22 days |
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C. 31 days |
D. 22 days |
Answer : Option A
Explanation :
Work done by A in 20 days = 80/100 = 8/10 = 4/5
Work done by A in 1 day = (4/5) / 20 = 4/100 = 1/25 — (1)
Work done by A and B in 3 days = 20/100 = 1/5 (Because remaining 20% is done in 3 days by A and B)
Work done by A and B in 1 day = 1/15 —(2)
Work done by B in 1 day = 1/15 – 1/25 = 2/75
=> B can complete the work in 75/2 days = 37 ½ days
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4. P can finish a work in 18 days. Q can finish the same work in 15 days. Q worked for 10 days and left the job. How many days does P alone need to finish the remaining work? |
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A. 8 |
B. 5 |
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C. 4 |
D. 6 |
Answer : Option D
Explanation :
Work done by P in 1 day = 1/18
Work done by Q in 1 day = 1/15
Work done by Q in 10 days = 10/15 = 2/3
Remaining work = 1 – 2/3 = 1/3
Number of days in which P can finish the remaining work = (1/3) / (1/18) = 6
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5. Anil and Suresh are working on a special assignment. Anil needs 6 hours to type 32 pages on a computer and Suresh needs 5 hours to type 40 pages. If both of them work together on two different computers, how much time is needed to type an assignment of 110 pages? |
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A. 7 hour 15 minutes |
B. 7 hour 30 minutes |
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C. 8 hour 15 minutes |
D. 8 hour 30 minutes |
Answer : Option C
Explanation :
Pages typed by Anil in 1 hour = 32/6 = 16/3
Pages typed by Suresh in 1 hour = 40/5 = 8
Pages typed by Anil and Suresh in 1 hour = 16/3 + 8 = 40/3
Time taken to type 110 pages when Anil and Suresh work together = 110 × 3 /40 = 33/4
= 8 ¼ hours = 8 hour 15 minutes
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6. P works twice as fast as Q. If Q alone can complete a work in 12 days, P and Q can finish the work in — days |
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A. 1 |
B. 2 |
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C. 3 |
D. 4 |
Answer : Option D
Explanation :
Work done by Q in 1 day = 1/12
Work done by P in 1 day = 2 × (1/12) = 1/6
Work done by P and Q in 1 day = 1/12 + 1/6 = ¼
=> P and Q can finish the work in 4 days
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7. A work can be finished in 16 days by twenty women. The same work can be finished in fifteen days by sixteen men. The ratio between the capacity of a man and a woman is |
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A. 1:3 |
B. 4:3 |
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C. 2:3 |
D. 2:1 |
Answer : Option B
Explanation :
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Work done by 20 women in 1 day = 1/16 Work done by 1 woman in 1 day = 1/(16×20) Work done by 16 men in 1 day = 1/15 Work done by 1 man in 1 day = 1/(15×16) 8. P,Q and R together earn Rs.1620 in 9 days. P and R can earn Rs.600 in 5 days. Q and R in 7 days can earn Rs.910. How much amount does R can earn per day? |
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A. Rs.40 |
B. Rs.70 |
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C. Rs.90 |
D. Rs.100 |
Answer : Option B
Explanation :
Amount Earned by P,Q and R in 1 day = 1620/9 = 180 —(1)
Amount Earned by P and R in 1 day = 600/5 = 120 —(2)
Amount Earned by Q and R in 1 day = 910/7 = 130 —(3)
(2)+(3)-(1) => Amount Earned by P , Q and 2R in 1 day
– Amount Earned by P,Q and R in 1 day = 120+130-180 = 70
=>Amount Earned by R in 1 day = 70
Ratio of the capacity of a man and woman =1/(15×16) : 1/(16×20) = 1/15 : 1/20
= 1/3 :1/4 = 4:3
Level 2
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1. P, Q and R can do a work in 20, 30 and 60 days respectively. How many days does it need to complete the work if P does the work and he is assisted by Q and R on every third day? |
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A. 10 days |
B. 14 days |
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C. 15 days |
D. 9 days |
Answer : Option C
Explanation :
Amount of work P can do in 1 day = 1/20
Amount of work Q can do in 1 day = 1/30
Amount of work R can do in 1 day = 1/60
P is working alone and every third day Q and R is helping him
Work completed in every three days = 2 × (1/20) + (1/20 + 1/30 + 1/60) = 1/5
So work completed in 15 days = 5 × 1/5 = 1
Ie, the work will be done in 15 days
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2. A is thrice as good as B in work. A is able to finish a job in 60 days less than B. They can finish the work in – days if they work together. |
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A. 18 days |
B. 22 ½ days |
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C. 24 days |
D. 26 days |
Answer : Option B
Explanation :
If A completes a work in 1 day, B completes the same work in 3 days
Hence, if the difference is 2 days, B can complete the work in 3 days
=> if the difference is 60 days, B can complete the work in 90 days
=> Amount of work B can do in 1 day= 1/90
Amount of work A can do in 1 day = 3 × (1/90) = 1/30
Amount of work A and B can together do in 1 day = 1/90 + 1/30 = 4/90 = 2/45
=> A and B together can do the work in 45/2 days = 22 ½ days
Answer : Option B Explanation : Work done by P and Q in 1 day = 1/10 Work done by R in 1 day = 1/50 Work done by P, Q and R in 1 day = 1/10 + 1/50 = 6/50 But Work done by P in 1 day = Work done by Q and R in 1 day . Hence the above equation can be written as Work done by P in 1 day × 2 = 6/50 => Work done by P in 1 day = 3/50 => Work done by Q and R in 1 day = 3/50 Hence work done by Q in 1 day = 3/50 – 1/50 = 2/50 = 1/25 So Q alone can do the work in 25 days 4. 6 men and 8 women can complete a work in 10 days. 26 men and 48 women can finish the same work in 2 days. 15 men and 20 women can do the same work in – days. |
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A. 4 days |
B. 6 days |
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C. 2 days |
D. 8 days |
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Answer : Option A
Explanation :
Let work done by 1 man in 1 day = m and work done by 1 woman in 1 day = b
Work done by 6 men and 8 women in 1 day = 1/10
=> 6m + 8b = 1/10
=> 60m + 80b = 1 — (1)
Work done by 26 men and 48 women in 1 day = 1/2
=> 26m + 48b = ½
=> 52m + 96b = 1— (2)
Solving equation 1 and equation 2. We get m = 1/100 and b = 1/200
Work done by 15 men and 20 women in 1 day
= 15/100 + 20/200 =1/4
=> Time taken by 15 men and 20 women in doing the work = 4 days
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5. Machine P can print one lakh books in 8 hours. Machine Q can print the same number of books in 10 hours while machine R can print the same in 12 hours. All the machines started printing at 9 A.M. Machine P is stopped at 11 A.M. and the remaining two machines complete work. Approximately at what time will the printing of one lakh books be completed? |
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A. 3 pm |
B. 2 pm |
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C. 1:00 pm |
D. 11 am |
Answer : Option C
Explanation :
Work done by P in 1 hour = 1/8
Work done by Q in 1 hour = 1/10
Work done by R in 1 hour = 1/12
Work done by P,Q and R in 1 hour = 1/8 + 1/10 + 1/12 = 37/120
Work done by Q and R in 1 hour = 1/10 + 1/12 = 22/120 = 11/60
From 9 am to 11 am, all the machines were operating.
Ie, they all operated for 2 hours and work completed = 2 × (37/120) = 37/60.
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6. A can complete a work in 12 days with a working of 8 hours per day. B can complete the same work in 8 days when working 10 hours a day. If A and B work together, working 8 hours a day, the work can be completed in — days. |
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A. 5 5⁄11 |
B. 4 5⁄11 |
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C. 6 4⁄11 |
D. 6 5⁄11 |
Answer : Option A
Explanation :
A can complete the work in 12 days working 8 hours a day
=> Number of hours A can complete the work = 12×8 = 96 hours
=> Work done by A in 1 hour = 1/96
B can complete the work in 8 days working 10 hours a day
=> Number of hours B can complete the work = 8×10 = 80 hours => Work done by B in 1 hour = 1/80
Work done by A and B in 1 hour = 1/96 + 1/80 = 11/480 => A and B can complete the work in 480/11 hours. A and B works 8 hours a day.
Hence total days to complete the work with A and B working together = (480/11)/ (8) = 60/11 days = 5 5⁄11 days
Pending work = 1- 37/60 = 23/60
Hours taken by Q an R to complete the pending work = (23/60) / (11/60) = 23/11
which is approximately equal to 2. Hence the work will be completed approximately 2 hours after 11 am ; ie around 1 pm
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7. If daily wages of a man is double to that of a woman, how many men should work for 25 days to earn Rs.14400? Given that wages for 40 women for 30 days are Rs.21600. |
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A. 12 |
B. 14 |
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C. 16 |
D. 18 |
Answer : Option C
Explanation :
Wages of 1 woman for 1 day = 21600/(40×30)
Wages of 1 man for 1 day = (21600×2)/(40×30)
Wages of 1 man for 25 days = (21600×2×25)/(40×30)
Number of men = 14400/(21600×2×25)/(40×30)=144/(216×50)/40×30)=144/9=16
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8. There is a group of persons each of whom can complete a piece of work in 16 days, when they are working individually. On the first day one person works, on the second day another person joins him, on the third day one more person joins them and this process continues till the work is completed. How many days are needed to complete the work? |
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A. 3 1⁄4 days |
B. 4 1⁄3 days |
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C. 5 1⁄6 days |
D. 6 1⁄5 days |
Answer : Option C
Explanation :
Work completed in 1st day = 1/16
Work completed in 2nd day = (1/16) + (1/16) = 2/16
Work completed in 3rd day = (1/16) + (1/16) + (1/16) = 3/16
An easy way to attack such problems is from the choices. You can see the choices are
very close to each other. So just see one by one.
For instance, The first choice given in 3 1⁄4
The work done in 3 days = 1/16 + 2/16 + 3/16 = (1+2+3)/16 = 6/16
The work done in 4 days = (1+2+3+4)/16 = 10/16
The work done in 5 days = (1+2+3+4+5)/16 = 15/16, almost close, isn’t it?
The work done in 6 days = (1+2+3+4+5+6)/16 > 1
Hence the answer is less than 6, but greater than 5. Hence the answer is 5 1⁄6 days.
(Just for your reference, work done in 5 days = 15/16)
Pending work in 6th day = 1 – 15/16 = 1/16.
In 6th day, 6 people are working and work done = 6/16.
To complete the work 1/16, time required = (1/16) / (6/16) = 1/6 days.
Hence total time required = 5 + 1/6 = 5 1⁄6 days