How do you solve this problem?

Question

it takes 6 hours for 3 photocopiers to finish a copying job. How long would it take 8 copiers to finish the same job?

Answer 1

Figure out how many total hours of photocopying are being done, then figure out how many hours each of 8 copiers would have to work to do the same total number of hours.

[ADDED] These people saying 16 are astoundingly dumb. If it takes just 6 hours for 3 copiers, how can it take 16 hours for 8 copiers? It's NOT a proportion problem. Dummmm dum DUM dummmm.

There ARE a couple of people on this page with the right answer, though.

Answer 2

just getting a simple guess.
6 copiers could do the job in 3 hours
9 copiers could do the job in 2 hours

so, we know the answer has to be somewhere between 2 and 3 hours.
1 job = 18 photocopy * manhours. If I have 8 men, then I divide 18 by 8.

18/8 hours = 2 2/8 = 2 1/4 hours.

Answer 3

3 copiers = 6 hours
1 copier = 6*3 = 18 hours --- as 1 copier would take longer
8 copiers = 18/8 = 2.25 hours
--- as 8 copiers would take a shorter time

Note that the time taken is inversely proportional to the number of copiers.

Answer 4

4

Answer 5

first, an assumption must be made (or, it has to be implied) that each typist would uniformly accomplish the job, working alone, in x hours... let the hourly rate for each typist be 1/x; then, working together, the job will be accomplished by 3 typists at the hourly rate of 1/5; that is,

3(1/x) = 1/5

which yields x = 15

i.e. each typist, working alone can complete the job in 15 hours... so, now, for 8 typists, working together, let y be the number of hours to accomplish the job; so,

8(1/15) = 1/y

which yields y = 15/8

i.e. the job can be completed by 8 typists, working together, in under 2 hours.

Shut the hell up and stop asking the same questions rewording the question.

Answer 6

16

Answer 7

6 hrs/3 copiers = 2hrs/copier

8 copiers = 16 hours (If all 8 copiers had no mechanical failures, that is.)

Answer 8

the correct answer is 3/6 *8=4 hours the time to copy wil decrease

Answer 9

1 Hour 15 Minutes

Answer 10

if like most copiers, it will take longer, because of all the down time trying to keep more copiers running...