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Problem Solving — algebra and arithmetic (GMAT Focus Edition)
Expert replies
by mshrest01 » Sat Jun 28, 2014 11:36 pm
If worker A and B completes in 20 days. Worker B and C completes in 16 days. Knowing that worker A worked for 5 days, worker B worked for 7 days and worker C worked for 13 days. How long is worker C going to take to complete the work alone?
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Source: — Quantitative Reasoning |

by [email protected] » Sun Jun 29, 2014 12:33 am
Hi mshrest01,

What is the source of this question?

This is clearly meant to be a "Work Formula" question, but it's terribly worded.

For reference, the work formula is:

(A)(B)/(A+B)

Thus, when you state that "worker A and B completes in 20 days", I assume this is meant to mean:

AB/(A+B) = 20

GMAT questions are always carefully worded to avoid biases or misunderstandings. This is NOT written in proper GMAT style.

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich
Contact Rich at [email protected]
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by GMATGuruNY » Mon Jun 30, 2014 5:57 am
I believe the intention of the problem is as follows:
Working together, printers A and B can do a certain printing job in 12 days. Working together, printers B and C can do the job in 16 days. Over the past 13 days, printer A worked for 5 days, printer B worked for 7 days, and printer C worked for 13 days, with the result that the job was completed at the end of the 13 days. How many days would it take printer C to do the job on its own?
Let the job = 48 pages.
Since A and B working together can do the job in 12 days, the combined rate for A and B = w/t = 48/12 = 4 pages per day.
Since B and C working together can do the job in 16 days, the combined rate for B and C = w/t = 48/16 = 3 pages per day.

Printer A worked for 5 days and printer B worked for 7 days:
Since A and B each worked for at least 5 days, the amount of work produced by A and B together over these 5 days = r*t = 4*5 = 20 pages.
Since B worked for 2 additional days, the amount of work produced by B and C together over these 2 days = r*t = 3*2 = 6 pages.
Remaining work = 48 - 20 - 6 = 22 pages.

Printer C worked for 13 days:
The work produced by C over 2 of these 13 days has already been counted, leaving 11 days for C to work alone.
Since C prints the remaining 22 pages over these 11 days, C's rate alone = w/t = 22/11 = 2 pages per day.

Thus:
Time for C to do the entire job on its own = w/r = 48/2 = 24 days.
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by ceilidh.erickson » Fri Jul 04, 2014 8:28 am
To reiterate Rich's point: do NOT study from non-GMAT-like sources! It will not help you to prepare for the test.

Please always post the source of your questions! Other students need to know which sources are good and which are not. You should always post the answer choices and OA as well.
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Harvard Graduate School of Education
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by mshrest01 » Mon Jul 21, 2014 4:11 pm
Yes thanks guys this was a tricky problem but u need to use algebrac manipulation.
Since it stated worker A worked for 5 days and worker B worked for 7 days and worker C worked for 13 days,

5A + 7B +13C= 1 work

Since A+ B together took 20 days their combined rates= (1/20)
Since B+C together took sixteen days their combined rates = (1/16)
From the earlier equation we can use distributive property
5(A+B)+ 2(B+C) +11C = 1 work
subsitute the rates into the equation R(A+B)=1/20 and R(B+C)=(1/16)
5(1/20) + 2(1/16)+11C= 1 work
1/4+1/8+11C=1 work
3/8+11C=1 work
11C=5/8
C=5/88
#of days C work= 1 work/rate of C=1/(5/88)=88/5=17.5 days=18days :)
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