rates

[alltimeacheiver]

ques when ticket sales begun, pat was nt customerin the line for ticket and the customer purchased tickets at the rate for x customers per mins. One of the following which represents time in mins, that pat had to wait in the line from the moment ticket sales begun?

1 (n-1)x

b n+x-1

c n-1/x
d x/n+1
e n/x-1

[Geva@EconomistGMAT]

ques when ticket sales begun, pat was nt customerin the line for ticket and the customer purchased tickets at the rate for x customers per mins. One of the following which represents time in mins, that pat had to wait in the line from the moment ticket sales begun?

1 (n-1)x

b n+x-1

c n-1/x
d x/n+1
e n/x-1

Variables in the answer choices call for plugging in numbers. Let's say that x=5, so the line deals with 5 customers per minute. If we then choose n=11 (Pat in the 11th place), Then Pat will wait exactly 2 minutes: the first five take one minute, the second five take another minute, then Pat is up.

so for x=5, n=11, the right answer choice should equal 2: C is the only answer choice that equals 2 for these plug ins (11-1/5 = 10/5 = 2), and thus is the only correct answer choice.

btw, question is vague - it is not clear whether the waiting time is until Pat reaches the ticket window (before he buys) or until he has a ticket (after he buys). Since I could find no answer to match the latter interpretation, I assumed the former.