How many staff memers were in the department?

[apoorva.srivastva]

A department manager distributed a number of pens, pencils and pads among the staff in the department, with each staff member receiving x pens, y pencils and z pads. How many staff memers were in the department?

1. The number of pens, pencils, and pads that each staff member recieved were in the ratio 2:3:4 respectively

2. The manager distribute a total of 18 pens, 27 pencils, and 36 pads

[b]KINDLY EXPLAIN AS TO HOW DO I SOLVE IT ALGEBRAICALLY!!!!!![/b]
Please help[/b]

[agoyal2]

IMO E.

Stmt 1: The ratio of pens, pencil, pad per staff is 2:3:4. This does not tell us about total items distributed and hence we cannot find out how many people were there. INSUFFICIENT.

Stmt 2: Total of 18 pens, 27 pencils, and 36 pads were distributed. We just know that this is in the ratio of 2:3:4. No new information. INSUFFICIENT.

Together:
We can have 9 people each receiving 2 pens, 3 pencils and 4 pads
or we could have 3 people each receiving 6 pens, 9 pencils and 12 pads.

Still INSUFFICIENT

[mehravikas]

IMO - E

[nervesofsteel]

E ..