A and B can finish a piece of work in 16 days and 12 days respectively. A started the work and worked at it for 2 days. He was then joined by B. Find the total time taken to finish the work.

By BYJU'S Exam Prep

Updated on: September 25th, 2023

A and B can finish a piece of work in 16 days and 12 days respectively. A started the work and worked at it for 2 days. He was then joined by B. The total time is taken to finish the work is 8 days. Steps to find the total time taken to finish the work:

Given that:

A’s one day’s work = 1/16

B’s one day’s work = 1/12

A and B’s one day’s work = 1/16 + 1/12

= (3 + 4)/48

In simplification we get the:

= 7/48

A’s 2 days work = 1/16 x 2 = ⅛

Remaining work = 1 – ⅛ = ⅞

A and B will finish the ⅞ work in

= ⅞ x 48/7

= 6 days

The whole work will be finished in 2 + 6 = 8 days.

Table of content

1. A and B can finish a piece of work in 16 days and 12 days respectively. A started the work and worked at it for 2 days. He was then joined by B. Find the total time taken to finish the work.

Define Time

It is possible to define time as the dimension on which any system evolves. Its length can be expressed in terms of milliseconds, seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years. Other ways to express time include:

Past: The occurrence of an event before the specified point in time is referred to as the past.
Present: The occurrence of an event at that specific point in time is referred to as being present.
Future: The occurrence of an event at an ambiguous time reference is referred to as the future.

Summary: