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Ravi and Kumar are working on an assignment. Ravi takes 6 hours to type 32 pages on a computer, while Kumar takes 5 hours to type 40 pages. How much time will they take, working together on two different computers to type an assignment of 110 pages?
8 hours
8 hours 15 minutes
7 hours 30 minutes
8 hours 25 minutes
8 hours 15 minutes
Calculate individual work-per-hour rates first (32/6=16/3 and 40/5=8). Sum them to get the combined rate (16/3+24/3=40/3) and divide the total assignment by this rate.
Ravi types 32 pages in 6 hours; Kumar types 40 pages in 5 hours; Total pages to type = 110.
Rate=TimeWorkтАЛ, Total┬аTime=CombinedRateTotalWorkтАЛ
Calculate individual work-per-hour rates first (32/6=16/3 and 40/5=8). Sum them to get the combined rate (16/3+24/3=40/3) and divide the total assignment by this rate.
Students often add the times (6+5=11) instead of adding the work-rates, which is a conceptual error in work-rate problems.
Calculate individual rates
Ravi's rate RrтАЛ=632тАЛ=316тАЛ pages/hour. Kumar's rate RkтАЛ=540тАЛ=8 pages/hour.
RrтАЛ=316тАЛ,RkтАЛ=8
Calculate combined rate
Adding their individual rates gives the combined typing speed: RtotalтАЛ=316тАЛ+8=316+24тАЛ=340тАЛ pages/hour.
RtotalтАЛ=340тАЛ
Calculate total time
To find the time for 110 pages, divide total pages by the combined rate: Time=40/3110тАЛ=110├Ч403тАЛ=40330тАЛ=8.25 hours.
Time=8.25┬аhours
Convert decimal to time format
0.25 hours is equal to 0.25├Ч60=15 minutes. Thus, the total time is 8 hours 15 minutes.
8┬аhours┬а15┬аminutes
B is correct because the total combined rate of 340тАЛ pages per hour applied to 110 pages results in exactly 8.25 hours, which is 8 hours and 15 minutes.
This concept is identical to Pipe and Cistern problems where rates of filling tanks are additive. Always work with unit rates per hour to simplify complex fractions.