SOLUTION: 4 persons complete 4 programs in 4 hours of programming time, taking a 15-minute interval for each completed program, for a total of 5 hours worked. How long would it take them to

Algebra ->  Rate-of-work-word-problems -> SOLUTION: 4 persons complete 4 programs in 4 hours of programming time, taking a 15-minute interval for each completed program, for a total of 5 hours worked. How long would it take them to      Log On


   

Question 1186150: 4 persons complete 4 programs in 4 hours of programming time, taking a 15-minute interval for each completed program, for a total of 5 hours worked. How long would it take them to complete 36 programs (including intervals)?
Answer by ikleyn(52754) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
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            The problem is easy to solve,  but its formulation is  INCOMPLETE.

            To be complete,  it must say that all  36 tasks are of the same level of complexity and the team works at the same rate on each.

            I will solve it under these assumptions. 


36 programs will take  9 times as much of programming time  as that of  4 programs, i.e. 9*4 = 36 hours.


Each of completed 36 programs goes with the additional 15-minute break, so it adds  36%2A%281%2F4%29 = 9  hours total breaking time.


Now we add 36 hours of programming time and 9 hours of breaking time, and we get the  ANSWER  of  36 + 9 = 45 hours, in total.

Solved.