TIME SPEED & DISTANCE

TIME & WORK, PIPES & CISTERNS

TIME SPEED & DISTANCE
There is only one formula relating the three parameters Distance (D), Speed
(S) and Time (T) and it is D = S xT
CONCEPT 1:
Average Speed : Average speed is always the total distance travelled / the
total time taken.
Average speed =

Total distance
Total time

If a certain distance D is covered at S1 km/hr and on return covered at S2

km/hr then, the average speed is not (S1 + S2) / 2 but is calculated as below:
Total distance = D + D = 2D and
Total time =

D
S1

D
S2

Av speed =

2D
D D =
+
S1 S 2

2. S 1. S 2
S 1+ S 2

Eg : K travels from A to B at a speed of 3 kmph for of the distance and 4

kmph for the remaining distance, what is his average speed from A to B.
Total dist = D
Total time =

3
D
4
+
3

Av. Speed =

D
5
=
D
16

1
D
4
4

4 D+ D
16

5D
16

16
= 3.2 kmph
5

CONCEPT 2: Relative Speed ( SR )

When two objects are travelling at speeds of S1 & S2, the SR between them :
a. When they are travelling in opposite directions is S1 + S2 and
b. when they are travelling in the same direction is S1 S2.
SR is used by in calculations by bringing one object to a standstill and allowing
the other object travel at the speed = SR.

Eg 1: Two trains start at the same time from A and B and proceed towards
each other at speeds of 15 and 35 kmph respectively. If the distance between
A & B is 400 kms at what time and distance will they cross each other?
By bringing A to a standstill and allowing B to travel at RS we know the
distance travelled by the second train to meet the first train is 400 kms.
Therefore D / SR will give the time taken for the two trains to meet i.e. 400/
(15+35) = 8 hours.
DA = Speed X time = 15 x 8 = 120 kms and
DB = 35 x 8 = 280 kms.
Ans : The trains will meet after 8 hours of starting and will meet 120 kms from
A or 280 kms from B.

Eg 2 : Two trains start at the same time from A and B. Train A travels towards
B and train B travels away from A. Speeds of train A and train B are 35 and 15
km/hr respectively. If the distance between A & B is 400 kms at what time and
distance will Train A meet Train B?
By bringing train B to a standstill and allowing the train A to travel at RS we
know the distance travelled by train A to meet the train B is 400 kms.
Therefore Dist / RS will give the time for the two trains to meet i.e. 400/(35-15)
= 20 hours. Distance travelled by train A = Speed X time = 35 x 20 = 700 and
the distance traveled by train B = 15 x 20 = 300.
The trains will meet after 20 hours of starting and will meet 700 kms from A or
300 kms from B.

CONCEPT 3: Calculating the length of the train based on the time taken by
the train to pass a fixed point
Eg 3: A train of length 200 meters passes a pole in 10 secs.
The speed of the train is 200/10 = 20 m/s.

CONCEPT 4: Calculating the length of the train based on the time taken by
the train to pass a fixed object with a length of its own
Eg 4: If a train of length 200 meters crosses a 300 m platform in 20 secs.
The speed of the train is (200+300)/20 = 25 m/s.

CONCEPT 5: When the medium in which the articles are moving has a
velocity of its own.

If the speed of a boat in still water is Sb & speed of the current/ stream is Sc,
then
Speed of boat while going downstream = Sb + Sc and
Speed of boat while going upstream = Sb - Sc

CONCEPT 6 : Circular Races:

A
B

Eg: If A and B race around a circular track of length 300 meters at a speed of
5 m/min and 9m/min respectively
i. Where and when will B overtake A and
ii. When will A & B meet at the starting point again
The SR of A & B = 9-5 = 4 m/min and
the distance D = 300 m.
Therefore time taken for A & B to meet will be
= D/RS = 300/4 = 75 min.
In 75 min A would have travelled 75 x 5 = 375 ms and
B would have travelled 75 x 9 = 675 ms.
i. A would have completed 1 round and be at a point 75 ms from the start and
B would have completed 2 rounds and be at the same point. Hence B will
overtake A after 75 min and at a point 75 ms from the start.
ii. A will come to the starting point every 300/5 mins and B will arrive at the
starting point every 300/9 mins. The time they will meet at the starting point
again will be the LCM of the two times ie LCM (300/5, 300/9) = 300/1 = 300
mins

Time and Work

Work problems can be split into 3 categories:
CONCEPT 7: Where everyone works with the same efficiency
Eg: 30 men take 15 days working 8 hours a day to complete the job. How
many men, working for 20 days at 4 hours day will be needed to complete the
same job?
The Quantum of work done
= No.of men x No.of days x No.of hours/day
Here the quantum of work done W by both groups is the same.
We, therefore, can equate as below
M1D1H1 = W = M2D2H2
30 x 15 x 8 = M2 x 20 x 4
M2 = 45 men
CONCEPT 8: Where groups work with different efficiency, but people in
the group work with the same effeciency.
Eg. 6 men or 9 women can complete a job in 77 days. How many days will 3
men and 6 women take to complete the same job?
6 men = 9 women
2men = 3 women
6 men x 77 days = total work
(3 men + 6 women) x D = 6 men x 77
(3 men + 4 men) x D = 6 men x 77
7 men x D = 6 men x 77
D = 6 x 77/7 = 66 days

CONCEPT 9: Where everyone works with different efficiency.

Eg: A can do a piece of work in 8 days by himself and B can complete the
same work in 10 days by himself. If works for 4 days and then stops, how long
will B take to complete the rest of the work?
If A can complete the work in 8 days by himself, he can complete 1/8 of the
work in 1 day, so if A works for 4 days he can finish 4/8 ( i.e. or 50% ) of the
total work.

Now B has to complete the remaining of the work. He takes 10 days to

complete the full work hence in 1 day he can do 1/10 of the work. Therefore to
complete or 50% of the work B will have to work for 5 days
To generalize, If A can do a job in A days by himself and B can do the same
job in B days by himself and if C can do the same job inC days by himself
AND if they work for a days, b days and c days respectively to complete the
job , then

a b
+
A B

c
C

= 1

(This 1 is known as UNIT WORK or 100% of the work)

Our problem can be worked using this formula as under

4 b
+
8 10

= 1.

b=5

CONCEPT 10: People working with different efficiency, work together to

finish a piece of work
Now, if they both work together for x days to finish the job. The number of days
to finish the job can be found by changing the formula as below

x x
+
= 1 ;
A B
Eg: A can do a piece of work in 8 days by himself and B can complete the
same work in 12 days by himself. If works for 4 days and then stops, how long
will B take to complete the rest of the work?

x x
+
8 12
x=

=1

24
days
5

x = 4.8 days

CONCEPT 11: When theres a proportional variation between the

effeciencies of the individuals

Now, if they both work together for x days to finish the job and A is twice as
efficient as B then the formula becomes
x/A + x/2A = 1

CONCEPT 12:
If A & B working together take x days to complete a job and A takes a days
more when working alone and B takes b days more when working alone than
when working together, find x
Let the number of days A & B working together take be x, then the equation
becomes

x
x +a

x
x +b

=1

Simplifying
x = (ab)

PIPES & CISTERNS

All the concepts applicable to Time & Work apply to Pipes & Cisterns
However there is one fundamental difference.
In Time & Work there cannot be negative work, but in Pipes & Cisterns the
pipe can be a drain instead of inlet
So
when pipe A takes A hrs and Pipe B takes B hours to fill a tank and pipe C
takes C hours to empty a tank and each of them are opened for a hrs, b hrs
and c hrs respectively then the equation becomes
a/A + b/B - c/C

= 1

1. To complete a work, A takes 50% more time than B. If together

they take 18 days to complete the work, how much time will B take
to do it?
a. 45 days
b.40 days
c.35 days
d.30 days
2. A and B can complete a piece of work in 12 and 18 days
respectively. A begins to do the work and they work alternatively
one at a time for one day each. In how many days will the work be
completed?
a. 15 2/3 days
b.14 1/3 days c.16 1/3 days d.18 2/3 days
3. A alone takes 15 hours to produce 60,000 pieces which A & B can
produce together in 10 hours. How many pieces will B produce in
15 hours?
a. 20,000
b.25,000
c.30,000
d.60,000
4. A takes 12 hours more to complete a job than when he works with
B and B takes 3 hours more to complete the same job when he
works with A. How long will they take to complete the job together?
a. 7.5 hrs
b.6 hrs
c.5 hrs
d.4.5 hrs
5. Two pipes A and B can fill a tank in 36 hours and 45 hours
respectively. If both the pipes are opened simultaneously, how
much time will be taken to fill the tank?
a. 24 hrs

b.25 hrs

c.20 hrs

d.30 hrs

6. A pipe can fill a tank in 15 hrs. Due to a leak in the bottom, it is

filled in 20 hrs. If the tank is full, how much time will the leak take
to empty the tank?
a. 65 hrs
b.60 hrs
c.55 hrs
d.50 hrs
7. A tank is erected with two outlet pipes and one inlet pipe. The
outlet pipe A is twice the size of outlet pipe B and inlet pipe C is
twice the dia of B. If the tank gets full every 30 days when all three
pipes are open, how long will it take inlet pipe C to fill the tank?
a. 5 days

b.7.5 days

c.10 days

d.15 days

8. A pipe M can fill a tank in x hours jointly with another pipe N. By

itself M takes (x + 8) hours to fill the tank. Pipe N takes (x+18)
hours to fill the tank. Find the no.of days taken by M and N to fill
the tank individually.
a. 18, 28 days b.20, 30 days
c.22, 32 days d. None of these

7. To complete a work, A takes 50% more time than B. If together

they take 18 days to complete the work, how much time will B take
to do it?
a. 45 days
b.40 days c.35 days
d.30 days
8. A and B can complete a piece of work in 12 and 18 days
respectively. A begins to do the work and they work alternatively
one at a time for one day each. In how many days will the work be
completed?
a. 15 2/3 days
b.14 1/3 days
c.16 1/3 days
d.18 2/3 days
9. A alone takes 15 hours to produce 60,000 pieces which A & B can
produce together in 10 hours. How many pieces will B produce in
15 hours?
a. 20,000
b.25,000
c.30,000
d.60,000
10. A takes 12 hours more to complete a job than when he works with
B and B takes 3 hours more to complete the same job when he
works with A. How long will they take to complete the job together?
a. 7.5 hrs
b.6 hrs
c.5 hrs
d.4.5 hrs
11. Two pipes A and B can fill a tank in 36 hours and 45 hours
respectively. If both the pipes are opened simultaneously, how
much time will be taken to fill the tank?
a. 24 hrs
b.25 hrs
c.20 hrs
d.30 hrs
12. A pipe can fill a tank in 15 hrs. Due to a leak in the bottom, it is
filled in 20 hrs. If the tank is full, how much time will the leak take
to empty the tank?
a. 65 hrs
b.60 hrs
c.55 hrs
d.50 hrs
13. A tank is erected with two outlet pipes and one inlet pipe. The
outlet pipe A is twice the size of outlet pipe B and inlet pipe C is
twice the dia of B. If the tank gets full every 30 days when all three
pipes are open, how long will it take inlet pipe C to fill the tank?
a. 5 days

b.7.5 days

c.10 days

d.15 days

14. A pipe M can fill a tank in x hours jointly with another pipe N. By
itself M takes (x + 8) hours to fill the tank. Pipe N takes (x+18)
hours to fill the tank. Find the no.of days taken by M and N to fill
the tank individually.

a. 18, 28 days

b.20, 30 days

c.22, 32 days

d.None of these

PROBLEMS

9. A certain numbers of men could do a piece of work in 60 days. If

there were 8 more men, it could be finished in 10 days less. The
number of men, in the beginning were:
a. 45

b.40

c.35

d.30

10. Shree can do a work in 3 days. Sampath can do the same work in
2 days. Both of them finish the work together and get Rs .150.
What is the Shrees share?
a. Rs.60

b.Rs.90

c.Rs.100

d.Rs.75

11. The wages of 10 workers for six days in a week is Rs.1200. What
is the one day wages for 4 workers?
`
a. Rs.480
b.Rs.120
c.Rs.100
d.Rs.80
12. If a typist can type 75 pages of manuscript having 44 lines on each
page and 16 words to the line in 5 days. How many pages of 30
lines each and 16 words to each line can she type in 6 days?
a. Rs.143

b.Rs.132

c.Rs.110

d.Rs.154

13. A can do a piece of work alone in 12 days, while B alone can do it

in 15 days, with the help of C they can finish it in 5 days. If they are
paid Rs.960 for the whole work, what is the share of A?
a. Rs.480

b.Rs.240

c.Rs.320

d.Rs.400

14. In a factory assembly line, 20 workers can complete one third of a

work in 20 days. How many more workers should be deployed to
finish the rest of the work in 25 more days?
a. 32

b.25

c.7

d.5

1. I row from A to B against the current in 8 hrs. and from B to A in 2 hrs. If the
speed of the river is 9 m/s, what is the speed, in m/s, of the boat in still water?
a. 15

b. 20

c. 16

d.22

2. A man rows 27 km downstream and 15 km upstream taking 4 hrs each time.

Find his speed in km/hr in still water and the speed in km/hr at which the
stream flows.
a. 5.25 & 1.5 b. 6 & 2.25
c. 5.25 & 1.25 d.7 & 19

3. A train traveling at 25 km/hr, leaves Delhi at 9a.m. and another leaves Delhi at
35 km/hr at 2p.m. in the same direction. How many kms from Delhi do they
meet?
a. 437.5 km b. 450 km
c. 550 km
d.125 km
4. Two trains 121 meters long and 99 meters long are running in opposite
directions, the first at 40 km/hr and the second at 32 km/hr. In what time will
they completely clear each other from the moment they meet?
a. 11 sec
b. 10 sec
c. 22 sec
d.20 sec
5. How long does a train 110 meters long running at 36 km/hr take to cross a
bridge 132 meters in length?
a. 24.2 sec
b. 25 sec
c. 25.4 sec
d.30 sec
6. A car driven in fog passed a man walking at 3 km/hr in the same direction. He
could see the car for 4 min and up to a distance 100m. What was the speed of
the car?
a. 4.5 kmph b. 5 kmph
c. 6.3 kmph d.5.5 kmph
7. In a 200 meter race A beats B by 60 meters and C beats B by 25 meters. In
the same race who will win between A & B and what will be the difference in
lengths run when the leader finishes
a. A, 35 m
b. A, 40 m
c. C, 35 m
d. C, 40 m
8. Kumars driver leaves home for the office every day to pick up Kumar at the
office exactly at 7:00 pm and return home. One day Kumar finishes an hour
early and decides to walk home part of the way. He is picked up by his chauffer
in between and reaches home 30 minutes earlier than normal. How many
minutes has Kumar walked.
a. 15 min
b. 30 min
c. 45 min
d. 40 min
PROBLEMS
9. A man covers the distance between his house and office travelling at an
average speed of 30 km/hr, he is late by 10 min. But, at a speed of 40 km/hr,
he reaches his office 5 min earlier. The distance from his house to office is?
a. 30 km
b. 35 km
c. 40 km
d.42 km
10. Two trains start at the same time from Hyderabad and Delhi and proceed
toward each other at the rate of 80 km and 95 km per hour respectively. When
they meet, it is found that one train has traveled 180 km more than the other.
Find the distance between Delhi and Hyderabad.
a. 2100 km
b. 2200 km
c. 24400 km d.2500 km
11. Walking at 3/4th of his usual speed, a man is 1 hrs late. Find his usual travel
time.
a. 4.5 hrs
b. 5 hrs
c. 6 hrs
d.5.5hrs
12. If a boy goes to school at 6 km/hr and returns home at 4 km/hr, find his
average speed.
a. 6kmph
b. 5.2 kmph c. 5 kmph
d.4.8kmph
13. I shall be 40 min late to reach my office if I walk from my house at 3 km/hr. I
shall be 30 min early if I walk at 4 km/hr. find the distance between my house
and the office.
a. 14 km
b. 20 km
c. 22 km
d.25 km

14. A man travels 120 km by ship, 450 km by rail and 60 km by horse taking all
together 13 hrs 30 min. the speed of the train is 3 times that of the horse and 1
times that of the ship. Find the speed of the train, in km/hr?
a. 60
b. 66
c. 40
d.80
15. A and B walk from P to Q, a distance of 21 km at 3 and 4 km/hr. B reaches Q,
and immediately returns and meets A at R. Find the distance from P to R.
a. 18 km
b. 22 km
c. 20 km
d.26 km
16. A man travelling from A to B at 3 mph, takes half an hr rest at B, and returns to
A at 5 mph. Total time taken is 3 hrs 26 min. Find the distance from A to B. (m
= miles).
a. 5.5 miles b. 6 miles
c. 6.2 miles d.7 miles
17. Walking 8/7th of this original rate, a man reaches his office 3 min early. Find
the usual time he takes to reach office.
a. 24 min
b. 30 min
c. 44 min
d.50 min
18. The ratio between the speeds of Meena and Teena is 2:3. Meena takes 20 min
more than Teena to walk from A to B. If Meena had walked at double her
speed, find the time she would take to walk from A to B.
a. 40 min
b. 50 min
c. 30 min
d.80 min