Work-Related Problems
𝟏
𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒆 =
𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒔𝒉 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒌
𝑾𝒐𝒓𝒌 𝑫𝒐𝒏𝒆 = 𝑹𝒂𝒕𝒆 ∗ 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
Example: If A can do a job in 4 hours and B can do the same job in 8 hours, working together from start (a)
What part of a job have they done in 2 hours, and (b) how many hours can they finish the job?
Work problem with n persons with the same rate doing the job
Principle:
• If 8 persons can do a job in 6 days, the number of man-days to finish the job is 8(6) = 48 man-days
• Thus, if 12 persons will do the job, it will take them 48/12 = 4 days to finish it.
Example: A job could be done by eleven workers in 15 days. Five workers started the job. They were reinforced
with four more workers, at the beginning of the 6th day. Find the total number of days it will take them to finish
the job.
Age-Related Problems
The difference of the ages of two person is constant at any time.
If x = present age of a person
x-3 = age of the person 3 years ago
x+5 = age of the person 5 years hence
Example: Four years ago, the sum of the ages of A and B was 4. Six years from now, twice B’s ages will be 28
years more than A’s age by then. How old is A now?
Digit (Number)-Related Problems
For a three-digit number:
Let: h = hundred’s digit
t = ten’s digit
u = unit’s digit
The number is: 100h + 10t + u
The reverse number is: 100u + 10t + h
The sum of the digits is: h + t + u
Principles in number problems
Let x be the first number and y be the second number
First number is twice the other: x = 2y
First number is five more than thrice the other: x = 3y + 5
First number is six less than one half of the other: x = 0.5y - 6
The sum of their squares = x2 + y2
The cube of their difference = ( x – y )3
Mixture-Related Problems
Example: How many grams of gold must be added with 500 grams of an alloy containing 30% gold and 70%
silver in order to produce another alloy analyzing 40% gold and 60% silver?
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Motion-Related Problems
𝒅𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 = 𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒐𝒄𝒊𝒕𝒚 ∗ 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆
Motion in water current or air current
If x = velocity of (boat/airplane) in still (water/air)
y = velocity of the (water/air), then
x + y = velocity when going (downstream/ with the wind)
x – y = velocity when going (upstream/against the wind)
Motion in a circle or any closed circuit
Starting at the same time from the same point and…
1. Going in the same direction:
𝒅𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 − 𝒅𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 = 𝟏 𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒊𝒕
2. Going in the opposite direction:
𝒅𝒇𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓 + 𝒅𝒔𝒍𝒐𝒘𝒆𝒓 = 𝟏 𝒄𝒊𝒓𝒄𝒖𝒊𝒕
Example: A man was enjoying the afternoon rowing leisurely upstream when his baseball cap fell in the water.
So absorbed was he is listening to the music from his earphones that it was 12 minutes before he discovered his
cap missing. He turned around and recovered the cap 1 km downstream from where it fell. Assuming constant
speed and neglecting the time for turnaround, what was the speed of the water current?
Clock-Related Problems
• If the minute hand moves distance of x, the hour moves x/12
• If the second hand move a distance x, the minute hand moves x/60 and the hour hand moves x/720
• In 12-hours, the minute-hand and the hour-hand of the clock overlap each other for 11 times (not 12
times). So, in one day, they will be together for 22 times.
• Each five minutes mark is subtending an angle of 30 degrees from the center of the clock.
Example: How many minutes after 2 o’clock will the hands of the clock be perpendicular for the first time?
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