Nitin ranks 23 rd from the top in a class of 42. What will be his rank from the last?
20 th
This question is a typical example of a ranking or order problem. We are given the total number of students in a class and the rank of a specific student (Nitin) from one end (the top). We need to find his rank from the other end (the last).
To find the rank of a person from the last when their rank from the top and the total number of people are known, we use a simple formula. The logic behind this formula is that the total number of people is the sum of the number of people before the person, the person themselves, and the number of people after the person.
Let's define the terms:
The number of students before Nitin from the top is $R_{top} - 1$.
The number of students after Nitin towards the last is $T - R_{top}$.
Nitin's rank from the last will be the number of students after him plus Nitin himself. So, $R_{last} = (T - R_{top}) + 1$.
Alternatively, we can think of it as:
$\text{Total} = (\text{Number of people before Nitin}) + (\text{Nitin}) + (\text{Number of people after Nitin})$
$\text{Total} = (R_{top} - 1) + 1 + (R_{last} - 1)$
$\text{Total} = R_{top} + R_{last} - 1$
Rearranging the formula to find $R_{last}$:
$R_{last} = \text{Total} - R_{top} + 1$
In this problem, we have:
Using the formula $R_{last} = T - R_{top} + 1$, we substitute the given values:
$R_{last} = 42 - 23 + 1$
$R_{last} = 19 + 1$
$R_{last} = 20$
So, Nitin's rank from the last is 20 th.
Let's break down the calculation:
This confirms that Nitin's rank from the last is 20 th.
| Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
| Total Students | 42 |
| Nitin's Rank from Top | 23 |
| Formula Used | Total - Rank from Top + 1 |
| Calculation | $42 - 23 + 1$ |
| Result | 20 |
| Concept | Explanation | Formula (if applicable) |
|---|---|---|
| Rank from Top/Front | Position counted starting from the first person. | N/A |
| Rank from Bottom/Last | Position counted starting from the last person. | N/A |
| Total People | The total count of individuals in the arrangement. | Rank from Top + Rank from Last - 1 |
| Finding Rank from Last | Calculating position from the end given rank from the beginning and total. | Total - Rank from Top + 1 |
| Finding Rank from Top | Calculating position from the beginning given rank from the end and total. | Total - Rank from Last + 1 |
Ranking problems can have several variations:
Understanding the position relative to others and the total count is key to solving these types of reasoning questions.
O, P, Q, U and V have different heights. Only three people have heights between V and Q. P is taller than U but shorter than O. V is taller than Q. How many people are shorter than P?
P, Q, R, S and T have different ages. T is elder than only one person. S is elder than P but younger than Q. R is elder than Q. Who is the youngest?
A, B, C, D and E have different heights. E is taller than C but shorter than A. Only one person is taller than A. D is shorter than C. Who amongst them is the third tallest?
Five students, N, O, R, S and T, have different heights. T is taller than N. R is taller than S but shorter than O. S is taller than N. More than two people are taller than T. How many people are shorter than R?
X’s rank was 12 from the top. If the total number of students in the class was 16, then X’s rank from the bottom for the class is:
X's rank is 15th from the top, and in total, there were 40 students in the class, then X's rank from the bottom in the class is:
A medical representative plans to visit each of six hospitals — A, B, C, D, E and F — exactly once during the course of one day. He is setting up his schedule for the day according to the following conditions:
i. He must visit A before B and E.
ii. He must visit B before D.
iii. The third hospital he visits must be C.
Which of the following could be the possible order in which the medical representative visits the six hospitals?Sonam is older than Renu. Komal is younger than Renu. Priya is older than Sonam. Who is the eldest of them?
Five men P, Q, R, S and T are reading a newspaper. The one who reads it first, gives it to T. The one who reads it last, had taken it from R. Q is not the first or last one to read it. There were two readers between P and R. Who is the third one to have read the newspaper?
P, Q, R, S, T and U are standing in a queue. Q is just ahead of P. S is just behind T. U is NOT near R, who is separated from Q by two persons. Who is standing at the front of the queue?
Five students took part in a cycling competition. Robert finished before Monish but behind Gunjan. Anil finished before Sunil but behind Monish.
Who won the competition?