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A, B and C can do a piece of work in 10, 15 and 30 days respectively. How long will they take to complete the work if they work together?
5┬аdays
6┬аdays
7┬аdays
8┬аdays
5┬аdays
Assume total work as LCM(10, 15, 30) = 30 units. Their 1-day work is 3, 2, and 1 units respectively. Together they do 6 units/day, so total time is 30/6 = 5 days.
Time taken by A = 10 days, Time taken by B = 15 days, Time taken by C = 30 days.
TtotalтАЛ1тАЛ=TAтАЛ1тАЛ+TBтАЛ1тАЛ+TCтАЛ1тАЛ
Assume total work as LCM(10, 15, 30) = 30 units. Their 1-day work is 3, 2, and 1 units respectively. Together they do 6 units/day, so total time is 30/6 = 5 days.
A common mistake is adding the given days directly (10+15+30=55) or averaging them instead of adding their rates of work.
Assume Total Work
To make calculations easy, assume the total work is the Least Common Multiple (LCM) of the given days 10, 15, and 30.
Total┬аWork=LCM(10,15,30)=30┬аunits
Calculate Efficiency of Each Person
Efficiency is the work done per day, calculated as Total┬аWork/Time. Calculate this for A, B, and C.
EAтАЛ=1030тАЛ=3,EBтАЛ=1530тАЛ=2,ECтАЛ=3030тАЛ=1
Calculate Combined Efficiency
Find the total work done by A, B, and C together in a single day by adding their individual efficiencies.
EA+B+CтАЛ=3+2+1=6┬аunits/day
Calculate Final Time
Divide the total work by the combined daily efficiency to find the total days required to complete the work.
Total┬аTime=630тАЛ=5┬аdays
A is correct because dividing the total work of 30 units by the combined rate of 6 units/day yields exactly 5 days.
This exact 'LCM and Efficiency' approach applies to Pipes and Cisterns problems, where multiple pipes fill or empty a tank at different rates.