Time and Work

The time and work is the basis of how work gets done at a particular time.
The problems with time and work give us the exact relationship between those
who are working and the time it takes to fulfill the work.
Going by basic mathematical definitions, time can be defined as the duration
during which a certain activity takes place, whereas work is defined as the set
of tasks completed to achieve a desired activity or result. It goes without
saying that to complete a work, an amount of time is consumed. It means that
there exists a certain relation between time and work.
Time: Time is the duration during which any activity or work happens or
continues.

Work: Work is a task or set of activities to achieve a certain result.

We can define happening of work as:

If a person A completes a work in X days, then the amount of work completed
by him in 1 day will be = 1/X

Similarly, if a person B completes work in Y days, then the amount of work

completed by him in 1 day will be = 1/Y
From the above two points, we can say that in one day A and B together can
complete (1/X + 1/Y) amount of work. Thus, together A and B can complete
the work in XY/X+Y days.
Let us understand the concept through a question

Example 1 : - The time taken by Ram and Shyam alone to complete

a piece of work is 24 days and 40 days, respectively. What is the
time taken by Ram and Shyam together to complete the same
amount of work?

Solution: -

Ram complete the whole work in 24 days

So, part of the work done by Ram in one day = 1/24
Shyam complete the whole work in 40 days
So, part of the work done by Shyam in one day = 1/40
Therefore, one day work of Ram and Shyam together will be
1/24 + 1/40 = 8/120
As Ram and Shyam together can complete 8/120 part of the work in
1 day
So, time taken by Ram and Shyam together to complete the work
will be = 120/8 = 15 days
Example 2: A can do a bit of work in 8 days, which B alone can do in 10 days
in how long . In how long both working together can do it?

A - 40/9 days

B - 41/9 days

C - 42/9 days

D - 43/9 days
Alternative Method:
Work done = Efficiency × Time taken
Example: The time taken by Ram and Shyam alone to complete a piece
of work is 24 days and 40 days, respectively. What is the time taken by
Ram and Shyam together to complete the same amount of work?

Step 1: Assuming a total work Let us assume the total work be LCM of
(24 and 40) = 120 units

Step 2: Calculating the efficiency of each individual We know, Work

⇒ Efficiency of Ram = 120/24 = 5 units/day

done = time taken × Efficiency(or one-day work)

⇒ Efficiency of Shyam = 120/40 = 3 units/day

Step 3: Calculating the combined efficiency

Efficiency of Ram and Shyam together will be = 5 + 3 = 8 units/day
Now,
Time taken by Ram and Shyam to complete the work = Total Work / Efficiency
⇒ 120/8 = 15 days
Concept of Efficiency

Efficiency denotes the amount of work done by any person in 1 day.

The ratio of the efficiencies of two workers is inversely proportional to the time taken
by them to complete a work.
If a worker is less efficient than he/she will take more time to complete the work.
If a worker is more efficient than he/she will take less time to complete the work.
The number of workers is inversely proportional to the time taken to complete the
work
Example: - A is 3 times as efficient as B. If B alone can complete the work in 12
days, then A alone can complete the work in how many days?

Solution: - According to the question, the ratio of the efficiency of A and B is 3 : 1

We know that the ratio of the efficiency is inversely proportional to the ratio of the
time taken

So, the ratio of the time taken by A and B to complete the work will be 1 : 3

Let us assume A alone completes the work in x days and B alone completes the
work in 3x days
3x = 12
x=4

Therefore, A alone can complete the work in 4 days.

Example: A is thrice as good as workman as B and therefore is able to finish a job in
60 days less than B. Working together, they can do it in:

a)20 days
b)22.5 days
c)25 days
d)30 days
Leaving and Joining type:

Example: A can do a bit of work in 25 days which B can complete in 20 days. Both
together labor for 5 days and afterward A leaves off. How long will B take to
complete the remaining work?

Solution:
0 Total work 100 A=25
0 5days 45 B=20
45 11days 100

Total Efficiency= 9
(A+B)'s 5 days work = 5*9=45 units of work
Remaining work = (100-45) = 55 units of work
So, the remaining work will be done by B only.
55/5 =11 days
Example: Ram can do a piece of work in 20 days which Shyam can do in 30 days.
They begin together with the condition that Ram shall leave the job 3 days before the
actual completion of work. What is the total number of days required to complete the
work?
[1] 14 days
[2] 19 days
[3] 27 days
[4] 9 days
Working on alternate days

Example: A can do some work in 10 days, B can do the same work in 5 days. If they
are working on alternate days, In how much time the work will be done.

Solution: A=10
B=5

Total Work=10 units

A start the work and complete 1 unit of work, and on the next day B will complete 2
units of work. In 2 days 3 units of work be done. In 6 days 9 units of work will be
completed. On the 7th day A will complete the remaining work.
In 7 days whole work will be completed.
Example: A, B and C can do a piece of work in 20, 30 and 60 days respectively. In
how many days can A do the work if he is assisted by B and C on every third day?
a)12 days
b)15 days
c)16 days
d)18 days
Negative Work Done:

Example: A can do some work in 5 days, B can destroy the same work in 10 days. If
they are working together, In how much time the work will be done.

Solution: A=5
B=10

A can complete 2 units of work in 1 day, B can destroy 1 unit of work in the same
time. If they are working together they can complete 1 unit of work in 1 day.
10 units of work will be completed in 10 days.
Example: A can do some work in 5 days, B can do the same work in 8 days, C can
destroy it in 10 days. If they are working together, In how much time the work will be
done.

a)40/9 days
b)20/3 days
c)5 days
d)16/3 days
Constructive and destructive work on alternate days:

Example: A can do some work in 2 days, B can destroy the same work in 3 days. If
they are working on alternate days ,In how much time the work will be done.

Solution: A=2 0 Total work=6 6

B=3 0 3 6

0 3-2=1 6
A will complete 3 units of work in 1 day and
B will destroy 2 units of work on the next day. 0 1+3=4 6
In 2 days 1 unit of work will be completed,
and they will complete 3 units of work in 6 0 4-2=2 6
days. On the 7th day A will work and
0 2+3=5 6
complete the remaining work.
0 5-2=3 6

0 3+3=6 6
Example: A can do some work in 10 days, B can do the same work in 15 days, C
can destroy it in 12 days. If they are working together, In how much time the work will
be done.

a)58 days
b)57 days
c)59 days
d)None of these
Practice
Questions
1: A and B can do a work in 12 days, B and C in 15 days and C and A in 20
days. If A, B and C work together, they will complete the work in :

a)5days
b)7 5/6 days
c)10 days
d)15 2/3 days
2: A can do a work in 6 days and B in 9 days. How many days will both take
together to complete the work?
(a)7.5 days
(b)5.4 days
(c)3.6 days
(d)3 days
3: A can do a piece of work in 4 hours; B and C can do it in 3 hours. A and C
can do it in 2 hours. How long will B alone take to do it ?

a)10 hours
b)12 hours
c)8 hours
d)24 hours
4: A and B can do a given piece of work in 8 days, B and C can do the same
work in 12 days and A, B, C complete it in 6 days. Number of days required to
finish the work by A and C is
a)16
b)8
c)12
d)24
5: A can do a piece of work in 12 days and B in 20 days. If they together work
on it for 5 days, and remaining work is completed by C in 3 days, then in how
many days can C do the same work alone?
a)10 days
b)9 days
c)12 days
d)15 days
6: A and B together can do a piece of work in 9 days. If A does thrice
the work of B in a given time, the time A alone will take to finish the work is
a)4 days
b)6 days
c)8 days
d)12 days
7: A can finish a work in 24 days, B in 9 days and C in 12 days. B and C start
the work but are forced to leave after 3 days. The remaining work was done
by A in :
a)5 days
b)6 days
c)10 days
d)10.5days
8: A and B working separately can do a piece of work in 10 days and 15 days
respectively. If they work on alternate days beginning with A, in how many
days will the work be completed ?
a)18 days
b)13 days
c)12 days
d)6 days
9: A and B can complete a work in 15 days and 10 days respectively. They
started doing the work together but after 2 days, B had to leave and A alone
completed the remaining work. The whole work was completed in :
a)10 days
b)8 days
c)12 days
d)15 days
10: A can do a piece of work in 18 days and B in 12 days. They began the
work together, but B left the work 3 days before its completion. In how many
days, in all, was the work completed?

a)12 days
b)10 days
c)9.6 days
d)9 days
11: A can do a certain job in 12 days. B is 60% more efficient than A.
Then B can do the same piece of work in

a)8 days
b)7.5 days
c)6.25 days
d)6 days
12: A can do a piece of work in 70 days and B is 40% more efficient than A.
The number of days taken by B to do the same work is

a)40 days
b)60 days
c)50 days
d)45 days
13. 12 persons can do a piece of work in 4 days. How many persons are
required to complete 8 times the work in half the time ?

a)192
b)190
c)180
d)144
14. A can do some work in 20days, B can destroy the same in 30 hrs. In how
much time the work will be done. If they are working on alternate days.
a)60days
b)120 days
c)119 days
d)None of these
15. A and B can complete a piece of work in 15, 25 days respectively and C
can destroy the same work in 30 days. A and B Work on alternative days and
C works daily. In what time they completed work
a)50
b)100
c)25
d)30
16. A can complete a piece of work in 15 days and B can destroy the same
piece of work in 20 days. Then in how many days the work will be completed if
they are working together?

a)30 days
b)45 days
c)60 days
d)None of these
Work and Wages

The Concept of work and wages is used to compare the work with the remuneration
for the work. The wages for any amount of work is directly proportional to the work
done.
If all the workers work for the same number of days, then their wages are in the
ratio of their efficiencies.
If all the workers have the same efficiencies and do the work for the different
number of days, then their wages are distributed in the ratio of the number of days
for which each of them worked.
If the workers have different efficiency and do the work for the different number of
days, then their wages are in the ratio of the work done by them.
Example: A can fabricate a divider in 30 days , while B alone can assemble it in 40
days, If they construct it together and get an installment of RS. 7000, what B's offer?

Solution:

A's 1 days work = 1/30,

B's 1 day work = 1/40,
Proportion of their shares = 1/30:1/40 = 4:3
B's offer = (7000*3/7) = Rs. 3000
Example: A alone can do a piece of work in 6 days and B alone in 8 days. A and B
undertook to do it for Rs. 3200. With the help of C, they completed the work in 3
days. How much is to be paid to C?

a)Rs. 375
b)Rs. 400
c)Rs. 600
d)Rs. 800
MDH formula/ Chain Rule

It is used to compare the works of the same nature done at two different times using
different manpower. The MDH formula can be represented as

Where M denotes the number of men/women/boys, D denotes the number of days,

H denotes the number of hours in a day, E denotes the efficiency of 1 man, and W
denotes part of work done

Let us understand the application of this formula using a question

Example: 6 men can pack 12 boxes in 7 days by working for 7 hours a day. In how
many days can 14 men pack 18 boxes if they work for 9 hours a day?

Solution: If 'w1' work is done by 'm1' men by working for 'h1' hours per day in 'd1'
days & 'w2' is work done by men 'm2' working for 'h2' hours per day in 'd2' days, then

Since we need to find 'd2', we can re-arrange the formula as,

= 3.5 days
Example: 4 men and 5 boys can do a piece of work in 20 days while 5 men and 4
boys can do the same work in 16 days. In how many days can 4 men and 3 boys do
the same work?

a. 10 days
b. 15 days
c. 20 days
d. 25 days
Provision of Food/ Fort Case

If food is available for ‘a’ days for ‘A’ men at a certain place and after ‘b’ days. ‘B’
men join, then the remaining food will serve total men for

Required time = days

If food is available for ‘a’ days for ‘A’ men at a certain place, and after ‘b’ days ‘B’
men leave then the remaining food will serve remaining men for

Required time = days

Example: In a Fort, 300 soldiers had of food provision for 90 days. after 20,
days 50 soldiers left the Fort. how long would the last at the same rate?

Solution: In a Fort, 300 soldiers had of food provision for 90 days.

After 20 days, 50 soldiers left the Fort, So, the remining soldiers 250 had the
food for x days.

As soldiers increases the number of days for consuming the food decreases,
it represents the indirect proportion.
So, 300 / 250 = x / 70 (Since, 90−20=70 days)
⇒x=300 / 250 × 70
∴x=84 days.
So, 250 men can have food for 84 days.
Example: A fort had provisions for 450 soldiers for 40 days. After 10 days,
90 more soldiers came to fort. Find for how many days will the remaining
provisions last, if consumed at the same rate ?

a)15days
b)25days
c)35days
d)5days
Practice Questions
1. 16 men complete one – fourth of a piece of work in 12 days. What is the
additional number of men required to complete the work in 12 more days?

A] 48
B] 36
C] 30
D] 16
2. Three friends Gerard, Runey work together to dig a hole. Gerard alone can
complete the work in 10 days and together they can complete it in 4 days.
They earn a total of Rs.1,200. Find the share of Runey if the money that they
receive is proportional to work that they do?

A] Rs 720
B] Rs 165.51
C] Rs 500
D] Rs 600
3. Susan can type 10 pages in 5 minutes. Mary can type 5 pages in 10
minutes. Working together, how many pages can they type in 30 minutes?

A] 15
B] 20
C] 25
D] 75
4. A team of 200 wagers undertakes building work of a bridge. The total time
allocated to build entire bridge is 20 days. After 10 days since start, 200 more
wagers join the team and together the team completes the bridge in required
time. If original team do not get those 200 extra wagers, how many days they
would be behind schedule to complete bridge.

A] 10 days
B] 20 days
C] 15 days
D] 1 day
5. Grass in lawn grows equally thick and in a uniform rate. It takes 24 days for
70 cows and 60 for 30 cows. How many cows can eat away the same in 96
days?

A] 18
B] 20
C] 21
D] 19
6. A group of women can finish a piece of work in 50 days. In how many days
will one-third the number of women be able to finish two-third of the work?

A] 150 days
B] 75 days
C] 50 days
D] 100 days
7. Pardeep receives an export order for garments. He has 30 machines to
complete the order in 60 days. How many machines would be required tom
complete the job in 40 days?

A] 50
B] 25
C] 35
D] 45
8. In a farm, 50 hens give 200 eggs in 2 days. In how many days, will 20 hens
give 400 eggs?

A] 15
B] 10
C] 5
D] 8
9. A customer paid you $600 for construction work, out of which, 3/5 of the
total amount was spent on the purchase of materials and 1/5 of the remaining
was spent on traveling. How much is left after all the deductions?

A] $120
B] $190
C] $192
D] $240
10. Babli alone can do a piece of work in 10 days Ashu alone can do it in 15
days. The total wages for the work in Rs.5000. How much should Babli be
paid off they work together for entire duration of the work?

A] 5000
B] 4000
C] 3000
D] 2000
11. If 12 men or 24 boys can do a work in 66 days, the number of days in
which 15 men and 6 boys can do it is

a)44
b)33
c)55
d)66
12. A certain number of men can do a work in 40 days. If there were 8 men
more, it could be finished in 10 days less. How many men were there initially?

a)20
b)24
c)30
d)16
13. If 6 men and 8 boys can do a piece of work in 10 days and 26 men and
48 boys can do the same in 2 days, then the time taken by 15 men and 20
boys to do the same type of work will be :

a)5 days
b)4 days
c)6 days
d)7 days
14. 6 men or 12 women can do a piece of work in 20 days. In how many days
can 8 men and 16 women do twice as big as this work ?

a)2 days
b)5 days
c)15 days
d)10 days
15. Suman can do a work in 3 days. Sumati can do the same work in
2 days. Both of them finish the work together and get 150. What is the share
of Suman ?

a)30
b)60
c)70
d)75
16. Work done by (x + 4) men in (x + 5) days is equal to the work done
by (x – 5) men in (x + 20) days. Then the value of x is

a)20
b)25
c)30
d)15