SOLUTION: If 4 people take 6 days to do a painting job, how many days will it take 3 people to do the same job?

Algebra.Com
Question 808339: If 4 people take 6 days to do a painting job, how many days will it take 3 people to do the same job?
Found 2 solutions by josmiceli, Edwin McCravy:
Answer by josmiceli(19441)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
4 people take 6 days to do a painting job
-----------------------------------
3 times as many people can do the same job
in 1/3 of that time
--------------------------------------
So, 12 people take 2 days to do the painting job
----------------------------------------
1/4 as many people will take 4 times as long
to do the job
--------------------------------------
So, 3 people take 8 days to do the painting job

Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
There are more than one way to do this:

Here's one way:

The least common multiple of 4 people and 3 people is 12 people.

12 people is 3 times as many people as 4 people, and
12 people is 4 times as many as 3 people.

Since 4 people take 6 days, 3 times as many people take only
one-third as long, or only 2 days. (since 2 is one-third of 6)

Since 3 people is only one-fourth as many people as 12, it will take
them 4 times as long as it would take 12 people, or 8 days. (since
4 times 2 is 8).

Answer: 8 days

---------

Or you can do it this way:

Since 4 people take 6 days, their combined rate is 1/6 of a job per day.
So one person's rate is 1/4 of that rate or 1/4 of 1/6 of a job per day,
or 1/24 of a job per day.  Then 3 people's rate will be 3 time 1/24 of a
job per day, or 3/24 of a job per day.  And 3/24 reduces to 1/8 of a
job per day, so it will take them 8 days to complete the job.

--------------------

Another way is: 

Workers times days = Workers times days
         4 times 6 = 3 times X
                24 = 3x
                 8 = x

Edwin

RELATED QUESTIONS

if it takes 7 people 15 days to do a job, how long will it take 3 people to do the same... (answered by ankor@dixie-net.com)
If it takes 4 days for 6 people to finish a job, than how many days does it take 8 people (answered by stanbon)
If 3 people finish a given job in 8 days,how many days will it take for 2 people to... (answered by ptaylor)
It takes 3 people 15 days to complete a big job, how long will it take 5 people to do the (answered by alicealc)
It takes 6 people 6 days to do a job. How many days would it take 2 people working at the (answered by josmiceli)
If Sam can do a job in 4 days, Lisa can do the same job in 6 days, and Tom can do the job (answered by stanbon)
If X people can do a job in D days, how long would it take Y people to do the same... (answered by Alan3354)
It takes 3 people 20 days to finish a job. How long will it take 4 people working at the (answered by stanbon)
If it takes 6 men to do a job in 4 days how many days will it take 2... (answered by oscargut)