Time and Work formulas

maths:time and work formulas and how to solve a

problem

Sure, Deepika! Let’s break Time and Work step by step. I’ll give you formulas, tips,
and a problem-solving method with an example.

1. Basic Concept
Work is the total job to be done.
Time is how long it takes to do the work.
Efficiency (or Work rate) = Work done per unit time.

2. Important Formulas
1. Work = Efficiency × Time

W =E×T
2. If A can do a job in x days, A’s 1 day work = 1x ​

3. Work done by A and B together in 1 day

1 1
1 day work = +
A’s time B’s time
4. Time taken by A and B together

1
Time =
1 day work of A + B
​

5. Work done formula when efficiency is given

Work done = Efficiency × Time worked

3. Step-by-Step Problem Solving Method

1. Step 1: Understand the total work (consider it as 1 unit if not given).
2. Step 2: Find individual 1-day work of each person.
3. Step 3: Find combined 1-day work if working together.
4. Step 4: Find the total time using formula:

T lW k

1/18
 Total Work
Time =
Combined 1-day Work
​

4. Example Problem
Problem:
A can do a work in 10 days and B can do the same work in 15 days. How long will it
take them if they work together?

Solution:

1. Step 1: Total work = 1 unit.

1 1
2. Step 2: 1-day work of A = 10 , B = 15​ ​

3. Step 3: Combined 1-day work:

1 1 3+2 5 1
+ = = =
10 15 30 30 6
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

1
4. Step 4: Total time = 1/6 ​ = 6 days

✅ Answer: 6 days

5. Tips
Always express work in units (like 1 job = 1 unit).
If efficiency is given, directly multiply efficiency by time to find work.
If work rates are fractions, find LCM to simplify.
For more than 2 people, sum up 1-day work of all.

If you want, I can make a small cheat sheet with all formulas + shortcut tricks so
you can solve any Time & Work problem quickly for exams.

Do you want me to make that cheat sheet?

give me 2 sum i can solve if i have doubt i ask u

Sure, Deepika! Here are 2 problems for you to try:

2/18
 Problem 1:
A can do a job in 12 days, B can do the same job in 16 days. If they work together,
how long will it take to complete the work?

Problem 2:
C can do a work in 8 days and D can do the same work in 24 days. They work
together for 3 days. How much of the work is left?

Try solving these, and if you have any doubt, I’ll guide you step by step.

1:8 days ah

Let’s carefully check Problem 1 step by step.

Given:

A = 12 days → 1-day work = 1/12

B = 16 days → 1-day work = 1/16

Step 1: Combined 1-day work

1 1 4+3 7
+ = =
12 16 48 48
​ ​ ​ ​

Step 2: Total time to complete 1 job

1 48
Time = = ≈ 6.86 days
7/48 7
​ ​

✅ Answer: ~6.86 days (not 8 days)

So it’s almost 7 days, not 8.

If you want, I can show a shortcut trick to quickly get this kind of answer in your
head. Do you want me to?

3/18
 7.7

Exactly, Deepika!

48
≈ 6.857 ≈ 6.86 days ≈ 6.9 days (rounded)
7
​

If you round it more loosely, some people write 7 days. But 7.7 is not correct—it’s
closer to 6.86 or 6.9 days.

If you want, I can show you a quick way to estimate combined work problems
without detailed fraction calculation. It’s very handy for exams.

Do you want me to show that?

explain 2

Sure, Deepika! Let’s solve Problem 2 step by step.

Problem 2:
C can do a work in 8 days → 1-day work = 1/8
D can do a work in 24 days → 1-day work = 1/24

Step 1: Combined 1-day work

1 1 3+1 4 1
+ = = =
8 24 24 24 6
​ ​ ​ ​ ​

✅ Together, C and D can do 1/6 of the work in 1 day.

Step 2: Work done in 3 days

1 3 1
Work done = 3 × = =
6 6 2
​ ​ ​

✅ So in 3 days, they complete 1/2 of the work.

Step 3: Work left

1 1

4/18
 1 1
Work left = 1 − =
2 2
​ ​

✅ Answer: Half of the work is left (1/2).

If you want, I can give you 2-3 more tricky Time & Work sums that usually appear in
exams so you can practice. Do you want me to?

sure

Great, Deepika! Here are 3 slightly tricky Time & Work problems for practice:

Problem 1:
A can do a work in 10 days, B in 15 days, and C in 20 days. They all work together for
2 days. How much work is left?

Problem 2:
A can complete a work in 12 days. B is twice as efficient as A. How many days will B
take to complete the work alone?

Problem 3:
A and B can do a work in 8 days and 12 days respectively. They work on alternate
days, starting with A. How many days will it take to complete the work?

Try solving these, and I’ll guide you step by step if you get stuck.

Do you want me to give hints for each problem too so it’s easier to start?

explain 1

5/18
 Sure, Deepika! Let’s solve Problem 1 step by step.

Problem 1:
A = 10 days → 1-day work = 1/10
B = 15 days → 1-day work = 1/15
C = 20 days → 1-day work = 1/20

Step 1: Combined 1-day work

1 1 1
+ +
10 15 20
​ ​ ​

Find LCM of 10, 15, 20 → LCM = 60

1 6 1 4 1 3
= , = , =
10 60 15 60 20 60
​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

6 + 4 + 3 13
Combined 1-day work = =
60 60
​ ​

✅ Together, they can do 13/60 of the work in 1 day.

Step 2: Work done in 2 days

13 26 13
Work done = 2 × = =
60 60 30
​ ​ ​

Step 3: Work left

13 30 − 13 17
Work left = 1 − = =
30 30 30
​ ​ ​

✅ Answer: 17/30 of the work is left

If you want, I can also show a shortcut method for these “3 people working
together” problems so you can solve them faster in exams.

Do you want me to show that?

6/18
 2sum explain

Sure, Deepika! Let’s solve Problem 2 step by step.

Problem 2:

A can complete a work in 12 days. B is twice as efficient as A. How many days will
B take to complete the work alone?

Step 1: Find A’s 1-day work

1
A’s 1-day work =
12
​

Step 2: Find B’s 1-day work

B is twice as efficient, so B can do 2 × A’s 1-day work

1 2 1
B’s 1-day work = 2 × = =
12 12 6
​ ​ ​

Step 3: Find B’s time to complete the work

Total Work 1
Time = = = 6 days
B’s 1-day work 1/6
​ ​

✅ Answer: B will take 6 days to complete the work alone.

If you want, I can explain Problem 3 too, which is a bit tricky with alternate days—it’s
very common in exams. Do you want me to explain that one?

3 sum

Sure, Deepika! Let’s solve Problem 3 step by step.

Problem 3:

7/18
 A and B can do a work in 8 days and 12 days respectively. They work on alternate
days, starting with A. How many days will it take to complete the work?

Step 1: Find 1-day work of A and B

1 1
A’s 1-day work = , B’s 1-day work =
8 12
​ ​

Step 2: Work done in 2-day cycle

1st day: A works → work done = 1/8
2nd day: B works → work done = 1/12

1 1 3+2 5
Work done in 2 days = + = =
8 12 24 24
​ ​ ​ ​

✅ So in 2 days, they complete 5/24 of the work.

Step 3: How many full 2-day cycles?

Total work = 1
After 4 full days (2 cycles), work done = 2 × 5/24 = 10/24 = 5/12

Step 4: Remaining work

Work left = 1 − 5/12 = 12/12 − 5/12 = 7/12

Next day, A works → work done = 1/8

14 − 3
Remaining after A’s day = 7/12 − 1/8 = = 11/24
24
​

Next day, B works → work done = 1/12

Remaining after B’s day = 11/24 − 2/24 = 9/24 = 3/8

Next day, A works again → work done = 1/8 = 3/24

Remaining = 3/8 − 1/8 = 2/8 = 1/4

8/18
 Next day, B works → work done = 1/12 = 2/24

Remaining = 1/4 − 1/12 = 3/12 − 1/12 = 2/12 = 1/6

Next day, A works → work done = 1/8 = 3/24

Remaining = 1/6 − 1/8 = 4/24 − 3/24 = 1/24

Next day, B works → work done = 1/12 = 2/24

✅ Work is completed (since B will complete more than remaining)

Step 5: Count total days

Each 2-day cycle = 2 days
Cycles used = 2 full cycles = 4 days → work done 5/12
Remaining finished in next 5 days (alternating A and B)

✅ Total days = 9 days

If you want, I can make a shortcut trick for alternate day problems so you can solve
them in 1–2 minutes during exams.

Do you want me to make that shortcut?

i dont understand please explain the concept of this

time and work

No worries, Deepika! Let’s go back to the basics and understand the concept
clearly. Once you understand this, all Time & Work problems—even tricky ones like
alternate days—become easier.

1. Basic Idea
Work = The total job to be done (you can think of it as 1 unit of work).
Time = How long it takes to complete the work.
Efficiency (Speed of working) = How much work a person can do in 1 day.

Formula:

9/18
 Work done = Efficiency × Time

or equivalently:

Work
Time =
Efficiency
​

2. 1-Day Work
If a person can finish a job in x days, their 1-day work = 1x ​

Example: A can do a job in 10 days → 1-day work = 1/10

This means in 1 day, A completes 1/10 of the total job.

3. Multiple People Working Together

Add their 1-day works to find combined work per day

Combined 1-day work = A’s 1-day work + B’s 1-day work + ...
Total Work
Total time to finish the work = Combined 1-day work
​

4. Efficiency Concept
If B is twice as efficient as A, it means B can do 2 × A’s 1-day work
Time taken by B alone = B’sTotal Work
1-day work
​

5. Alternate Day Work Concept

Some problems say A and B work on alternate days
Method:
1. Calculate 1-day work for A and B
2. Add work done in 2-day cycle (A day + B day)
3. See how many full cycles fit into the total work
4. Handle remaining work day by day

Example:
A = 1/8, B = 1/12
2-day cycle work = 1/8 + 1/12 = 5/24

10/18
 Summary
1. Find 1-day work for each person
2. If working together, sum them
3. If working alternately, calculate work in 2-day cycle
4. Time = Total Work ÷ Daily Work

If you want, I can draw a small diagram with blocks showing how work is done day
by day. This visual makes alternate day problems super easy to understand.

Do you want me to do that?

sure

Perfect, Deepika! Let’s make a visual diagram for alternate day work so it’s easy to
understand.

Example:
A can do a work in 8 days → 1-day work = 1/8
B can do a work in 12 days → 1-day work = 1/12
They work on alternate days, starting with A. Total work = 1

Step 1: Represent 1-day work as blocks

Work done
Day Person (fraction) Remaining work

1 A 1/8 1 - 1/8 = 7/8

2 B 1/12 7/8 - 1/12 = 19/24

3 A 1/8 19/24 - 3/24 = 16/24 =

2/3

4 B 1/12 2/3 - 1/12 = 7/12

11/18
 Work done
Day Person (fraction) Remaining work

5 A 1/8 7/12 - 3/24 = 11/24

6 B 1/12 11/24 - 2/24 = 9/24 =

3/8

7 A 1/8 3/8 - 3/24 = 6/24 = 1/4

8 B 1/12 1/4 - 2/24 = 1/12

9 A 1/8 1/12 - 3/24 = 0 ✅

Complete

Step 2: Key Observations

Each 2-day cycle (A + B) does:

1/8 + 1/12 = 3/24 + 2/24 = 5/24

Count full cycles first to save time.

Then, complete remaining work day by day.

✅ Total days = 9 days

If you like, I can also draw this as a visual block diagram with colored blocks
showing how work reduces day by day. This makes it very easy to solve any
alternate day problem in exams.

Do you want me to draw that block diagram?

give me a sum on basis to tricky

Sure, Deepika! Let’s make a tricky “basic + slightly challenging” Time & Work
problem for you.

12/18
 Tricky Problem:
A can do a work in 10 days, B in 15 days, and C in 20 days.
1. A and B work together for 2 days.
2. Then B and C work together for 3 days.
3. Finally, A and C work together until the work is finished.

Question: How many total days will it take to complete the work?

This one is tricky because it has different pairs working for different days.

Try solving it step by step, and I’ll guide you if you get stuck.

Do you want me to show the solution step by step after you try it?

answer

Sure, Deepika! Let’s solve this step by step.

Given:
A = 10 days → 1-day work = 1/10
B = 15 days → 1-day work = 1/15
C = 20 days → 1-day work = 1/20

Step 1: A and B work together for 2 days

Combined 1-day work = 1/10 + 1/15 = 3/30 + 2/30 = 5/30 = 1/6
Work done in 2 days = 2 × 1/6 = 2/6 = 1/3

Work left = 1 - 1/3 = 2/3

Step 2: B and C work together for 3 days

Combined 1-day work = 1/15 + 1/20 = 4/60 + 3/60 = 7/60
Work done in 3 days = 3 × 7/60 = 21/60 = 7/20

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 Work left = 2/3 - 7/20

Convert 2/3 to 40/60, 7/20 = 21/60

Work left = 40/60 − 21/60 = 19/60

Step 3: A and C work together until finished

Combined 1-day work = 1/10 + 1/20 = 2/20 + 1/20 = 3/20
Time required to finish 19/60 work = (Work) ÷ (1-day work)

19/60 19 20 380
Time = = × = = 19/9 ≈ 2.11 days
3/20 60 3 180
​ ​ ​ ​

Step 4: Total time

Step 1: 2 days
Step 2: 3 days
Step 3: ~2.11 days

Total time = 2 + 3 + 2.11 ≈ 7.11 days ≈ 7 days 3 hours

✅ Answer: ~7.11 days

If you want, I can make a shortcut trick for this type of multi-person work problem
so you can solve it in minutes in exams.

Do you want me to do that?

i found that11

Ah, I see, Deepika! Let’s carefully check why your answer came out as 11.

Step 1: A + B for 2 days

1-day work of A + B = 1/10 + 1/15 = 3/30 + 2/30 = 5/30 = 1/6

14/18
 Work done in 2 days = 2 × 1/6 = 2/6 = 1/3 ✅
Work left = 1 - 1/3 = 2/3 ✅

Step 2: B + C for 3 days

1-day work of B + C = 1/15 + 1/20 = 4/60 + 3/60 = 7/60

Work done in 3 days = 3 × 7/60 = 21/60 = 7/20 ✅

Work left = 2/3 - 7/20

Convert to common denominator (60):

2/3 = 40/60, 7/20 = 21/60

Remaining work = 40/60 − 21/60 = 19/60 ✅

Step 3: A + C finish remaining

1-day work of A + C = 1/10 + 1/20 = 2/20 + 1/20 = 3/20

Time to finish 19/60 work:

19/60 19 20 380
Time = = × = = 19/9 ≈ 2.11 days
3/20 60 3 180
​ ​ ​ ​

Step 4: Total time

2 days + 3 days + 2.11 days ≈ 7.11 days ✅

So the correct total time is ~7.11 days, not 11.

It looks like you might have added fractions incorrectly somewhere.

If you want, I can draw a step-by-step visual table for this problem—it makes
mistakes almost impossible and you can see why the answer is ~7 days.

Do you want me to do that?

15/18
 sorry 7

No worries, Deepika! Yes, the correct answer is ~7 days (more precisely 7.11 days).

✅ You got it now!

If you want, I can make a small shortcut method for all Time & Work problems,
including tricky ones, so you can solve them very quickly in exams.

Do you want me to do that?

yes sure

Perfect, Deepika! Let’s make a shortcut guide for Time & Work problems so you can
solve any problem quickly in exams.

1. One Person Work

If A can do a job in x days → 1-day work = 1/x
Time to complete work = Total Work ÷ 1-day work

Shortcut: Just divide total work by 1-day work → no fractions needed for simple
problems.

2. Two or More People Working Together

Add their 1-day works

Combined 1-day work = A + B + C ...

Time to complete work = 1 ÷ Combined 1-day work

Shortcut: Use LCM of denominators to simplify quickly.

3. Efficiency
If B is k times as efficient as A → B’s 1-day work = k × A’s 1-day work
Time for B = Total work ÷ B’s 1-day work

16/18
 Shortcut: If “twice as efficient”, divide A’s days by 2. If “half as efficient”, multiply A’s
days by 2.

4. Alternate Day Work

1. Find 1-day work of each.
2. Find work done in 2-day cycle = A + B
3. Count how many full cycles fit in the total work
4. Handle remaining work day by day

Shortcut:
Work done in 2-day cycle = sum of 1-day works × 2
Remaining work = Total work − work done in full cycles
Last day = whoever starts next completes the remaining

5. Multiple Pairs / Tricky Pattern

Break the work into segments based on who works
Find work done in each segment using 1-day work formula
Remaining work → final person finishes it

Shortcut: Convert all fractions to common denominator → subtraction becomes

easy

Extra Exam Tricks

Always take total work = 1 unit unless otherwise given
Always calculate 1-day work first
Use LCM for fractions instead of decimals
Alternate day problems → 2-day cycle first, then remaining

If you want, I can make a small visual table + formula sheet of all Time & Work
shortcuts. You can memorize it and solve any problem in 1–2 minutes.

Do you want me to make that table?

17/18
18/18