RajatGMAT777 wrote:
A very easy way to solve the problem
Note - The time taken has to be greater than 20 minutes as we are itself mentioned 2 time frames when the pumps were used (For beginners)
Total work = Work done by B and C(10 minutes) + Work Done by A and C(time is unknown) + Work done by A Alone(for 10 minutes)
Amount Work done when B and C worked is 10*(\frac{1}{60} + \frac{1}{120}) = 1/4
Amount of work done by A alone = 10*\frac{1}{30} = 1/3
Work done by A and C = 1-(1/4+1/3) = 5/12
So time required to do 5/12 work is given as Work done = Rate * Time
5/12 = (\frac{1}{30} + \frac{1}{120}) *t
5/12 = 5/120 *t
t = 10 minutes
So total = 30 minutes
Bunuel KarishmaBThis is one of the approaches but did I took more time to reach the answer, took around ~ 1 minute 10 sec
This is how I would solve it too.
Last 10 mins, only A works. Since A takes 30 mins alone, it does 1/3rd of the work in last 10 mins.
We ar leeft with 2/3rd of the work. First 10 mins, B and C work together. Their combined rate is 1/60 + 1/120 = 1/40 so they complete 1/4th of the work.
Work left is 1 - 1/3 - 1/4 = 5/12. This is done by A and C. Their combined rate is 1/30 + 1/120 = 1/24.
Time taken = (5/12) / (1/24) = 10 mins
Total time taken is 10 + 10 + 10 = 30 mins.
Many people prefer the units of work approach since it gets rid of fractions. If you are comfortable with fractions, you can do this calculation in your head as you read the question. Of course either works and time taken to solve with either strategy will vary person to person. If you are taking less than 2 mins on average for a question, you needn't worry. Some questions may need more than 2 mins but someone who gets those toughies is at a level where he/she solves simpler questions within seconds. So it all balances out.