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Question

8 men and 12 women can build a wall in 10 days. 6 men and 8 women can build the same wall in 14 days. How long will it take for 2 women and 1 man to build it together?

This question was previously asked in
RRB NTPC 2024 Undergraduate CBT 1 Question Paper (29-Aug-2025) (Shift 1)
The correct answer is

70 days

Work Rate Problem: Men and Women Building a Wall

This problem requires us to determine the time needed for a specific group (1 man and 2 women) to build a wall. We are given information about how long larger groups of men and women take. To solve this, we first need to understand the relative work efficiency of men and women.

Formulating Equations Based on Work Rates

Let '\(M\)' represent the amount of work one man completes in a single day, and let '\(W\)' represent the amount of work one woman completes in a single day. The total amount of work done is calculated by multiplying the combined rate of the workers by the number of days they work.

Scenario 1: 8 men and 12 women can build the wall in 10 days.

Total Work = \( (8M + 12W) \times 10 \) days

Scenario 2: 6 men and 8 women can build the same wall in 14 days.

Total Work = \( (6M + 8W) \times 14 \) days

Since the task (building the wall) is the same in both scenarios, the total work done must be equal. Therefore, we can set the two expressions equal to each other:

\( (8M + 12W) \times 10 = (6M + 8W) \times 14 \)

Deriving the Ratio of Work Efficiencies

To find the relationship between the work rate of a man and a woman, we simplify the equation:

\( 10 \times (8M + 12W) = 14 \times (6M + 8W) \)

Distribute the numbers:

\( 80M + 120W = 84M + 112W \)

Now, let's gather the terms involving '\(M\)' on one side and terms involving '\(W\)' on the other:

\( 120W - 112W = 84M - 80M \)

\( 8W = 4M \)

To find the ratio, we can divide both sides by 4:

\( 2W = M \)

This equation tells us that the work rate of one man (\(M\)) is equivalent to the work rate of two women (\(2W\)). In other words, a man is twice as efficient as a woman.

Calculating the Total Work Required

With the ratio known (\(M = 2W\)), we can now calculate the total amount of work required to build the wall. We can use either of the initial scenarios; let's use the first one:

Total Work = \( (8M + 12W) \times 10 \)

Substitute \( M = 2W \) into the equation:

Total Work = \( (8 \times (2W) + 12W) \times 10 \)

Total Work = \( (16W + 12W) \times 10 \)

Total Work = \( (28W) \times 10 \)

Total Work = \( 280W \)

This value, \( 280W \), represents the total work needed in terms of 'woman-days'.

Finding the Combined Rate of the Target Group

The question asks for the time it takes for a group consisting of 1 man and 2 women to build the wall. First, let's find their combined work rate:

Combined Rate = \( 1M + 2W \)

Using our relationship \( M = 2W \), we substitute:

Combined Rate = \( 1 \times (2W) + 2W \)

Combined Rate = \( 2W + 2W \)

Combined Rate = \( 4W \)

So, the combined rate of 1 man and 2 women is equivalent to the rate of 4 women working together.

Calculating the Time Taken by the Group

The time required for any group to complete a task is calculated by dividing the Total Work by their Combined Rate:

Time = \( \frac{\text{Total Work}}{\text{Combined Rate}} \)

Substitute the values we found:

Time = \( \frac{280W}{4W} \)

Time = \( 70 \)

The unit for time here is days.

Summary of Calculation Steps
Step Description Mathematical Representation
1 Set up equations based on initial conditions \( (8M + 12W) \times 10 = (6M + 8W) \times 14 \)
2 Calculate the ratio of work rates \( 8W = 4M \implies M = 2W \)
3 Determine the total work required (using woman-days) Total Work = \( (8(2W) + 12W) \times 10 = 280W \)
4 Calculate the combined work rate of 1 man and 2 women Combined Rate = \( 1M + 2W = 1(2W) + 2W = 4W \)
5 Calculate the time needed by the group Time = \( \frac{280W}{4W} = 70 \) days

Therefore, it will take 70 days for 1 man and 2 women to build the wall together.

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Similar Questions

  1. P is 30% more efficient than Q. How much time will they, working together, take to complete a job that P alone could have done in 23 days?

  2. If 6 men and 8 boys can do a piece of work in 10 days, while 26 men and 48 boys can do the same work in 2 days, then the time taken by 10 men and 20 boys for doing the same piece of work will be:

  3. 8 men and 12 women can build a wall in 10 days. 6 men and 8 women can build the same wall in 14 days. How long will it take for 1 woman to build it alone?

  4. 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?

  5. 8 men and 12 women can build a wall in 10 days. 6 men and 8 women can build the same wall in 14 days. How many more days will 1 woman take to build that wall alone compared to the number of days 1 man will take to build same wall alone?

  6. 48 men can do a work in 5 days while 40 women can do the same work in 9 days. In how many days can 4 men and 6 women together do the same work?

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Important Questions from Time and work

  1. A person can complete 20% of work in 8 days and another person y can complete 25% of the same work in 6 days. If they work together, in how many days will 40% of the work be completed?

  2. P works thrice as fast as Q, whereas P and Q together can work four times as fast as R. If P, Q and R together work on a job, in what ratio should they share the earnings?

  3. There are three pillars X, Y and Z of different heights. Three spiders A, B and C start to climb on these pillars simultaneously. In one chance, A climbs on X by 6 cm but slips down 1 cm. B climbs on Y by 7 cm but slips down 3 cm. C climbs on Z by 6.5 cm but slips down 2 cm. If each of them requires 40 chances to reach the top of the pillars, what is the height of the shortest pillar?

  4. There is an order of 19000 quantity of a particular product from a customer. The firm produces 1000 quantity of that product per out of which 5% are unfit for sale. In how many days will the order be completed?

  5. Ram and Shyam work on a job together for four days and complete 60% of it. Ram takes leave then and Shyam works for eight more days to complete the job. How long would Ram take to complete the entire job alone?

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