RATIOS (Part II)

Now we will learn to solve problems like:

1. If Ali can write 10 pages in 2 hours. How many pages can he write in 10 hours?
2. If 10 people can mow a lawn in 6 days. How many people will do same job in 1 day?
3. If a dozen apple costs 25 Rupees. How many apples can be bought with Rs. 40?
And so on.
These questions are often asked in GAT or other papers and even we come across them in our
daily life and in other subjects.

They are very easy, short and simple. So, Never make a mistake on such questions.
They are a PIECE OF CAKE.

Two Variable Questions:

We start with questions involving 2 variables. All questions will be solved in simple 3 steps.

STEPS:
1. READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY AND FIND VARIABLE INVOLVED. NAME THESE VARIABLES LIKE ‘A’
AND ‘B’.
2. FIND THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE VARIABLES. TWO TYPES OF RELATIONSHIPS MAY EXIST:
I. IF INCREASE IN ANY ONE VARIABLE, ALSO CAUSES AN INCREASE IN OTHER VARIABLE,
THE RELATION WILL BE DIRECT.(SEE EXAMPLE#1)
II. IF INCREASE IN ANY ONE VARIABLE CAUSES A DECREASE IN OTHER VARIABLE,
RELATION WILL BE INVERSE. (SEE EXAMPLE#3)
3. I. IF RELATION IS DIRECT, THEN FORMULA WILL BE :

II. IF RELATION IS INVERSE, THEN FORMULA WILL BE :

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 1
 CAUTION!!! WHEN USING ABOVE FORMULAS, MAKE SURE THAT UNITS OF BOTH
QUANITITES ARE SAME ON BOTH SIDES OF EQUATION. (YOU ARE COMPARING AN APPLE
WITH AN APPLE) [EXAMPLE:4]

Now let us look at following examples to clarify our concept about above 3 steps:

Q:1
Q.1 In a zoo animals use 39 pounds food in 6 days, the 91 pounds will serve how many
days.
a7
b 10
c 14
d 12
e8

Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) Pounds Food 2) Days [F&D]

Step 2: Now determine the relation: JUST THINK: If there is more food, then animals will finish it in
more time or less time. The animals will take more time to finish more food. So, Increase in one
variable is causing Increase in other. The relationship is direct.

Step 3: Apply Formula:

PUT VALUES: 39/6 = 91/D

OR: 6X91=39XD

OR: D= 6X91/39

CUTTING ON 3: D=2X91/13

CUTTING ON 13: D=2X7 = 14 DAYS ANS.

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 2
Remember: YOU HAVE TO DO ALL THIS WITHOUT A CALCULATOR.

SHORT CUT#3: Remember always perform cutting BEFORE multiplication when solving. Like
above question could also be solved like: x=6x91/39 = 546/39 = 14. But this is a longer and
time taking method. When we had done cutting by 3 and 13, remaining multiplication was
easy and simple as compared to long numbers like 546, 39 and 91.

Q:2
Q.2 A hospital needs150 pills to treat 6 patients for a week. How many pills does it need to
treat 10 patients for a week?

Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) pills 2) Patients [p&P]

(here time remains same in both situations, (1 week), so it is not a variable).

Step 2: Now determine the relation: JUST THINK If there are more patients, will they need more pills
or less pills for a given time. More Patients will need more pills. So, Increase in one variable is causing
Increase in other. The relationship is direct.

Step 3: Apply Formula:

PUT VALUES: 150/6 = p/10

OR: 6Xp=150x10

OR: p= 150x10/6

CUTTING ON 6: p=25x10

CUTTING ON 13: p=250 pills (ANS)

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 3
 Q:3
Q.3 A hospital has enough pills on hand to treat 10 patients for 14 days. How long will the
pills last if there are 35 patients?

Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) Patients 2) Days [P&D]

(here pills remains same in both situations, so it is not a variable).

Step 2: Now determine the relation: JUST THINK If there are more patients, will they finish same
number of pills in more time or less time. More Patients will finish pills in less time. So, Increase in one
variable is causing decrease in other. The relationship is inverse.

Step 3: Apply Formula:

PUT VALUES: 10X14=35XD

OR: D=10X14/35

CUTTING ON 5: p=2X14/7

CUTTING ON 7: p= 2X2 = 4(ANS)

Q:4
Q.4 Ali can read 50 pages per hour. At this rate, he can read how many pages in 50 minutes?

Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) Pages 2) Time [P&T]

Step 2: Now determine the relation: JUST THINK: If there is more time, Ali can read more pages or less
pages. Obviously, more pages. So, Increase in one variable is causing Increase in other. The
relationship is direct.

Step 3: Apply Formula:

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 4
NOW LOOK, UNIT OF TIME SHOULD BE SAME ON BOTH SIDES, EITHER HOUR ON BOTH SIDES OR
MINUTE ON BOTH SIDES. WE KEEP MINUTE ON BOTH SIDES. AND CONVERT HOUR TO MINUTES
USING: 1 HOUR=60 MINUTES

PUT VALUES: 50/60 = P/50

OR: 60XP=50X50

OR: P= 50X50/60

CUTTING ZEROS: P=5X50/6

CUTTING ON 2: P=5X25/3 = 125/3 = 41.66 PAGES. ANS.

Q:5
Q.4 If 15 worker can build a house in 24 days. How many days will the 40 workers take to do
the same job?

Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) Workers 2) Days [W&D]

Step 2: Now determine the relation: JUST THINK If there are more workers, will they finish same work
in more time or less time. More workers will finish the work in less number of days. So, Increase in one
variable is causing decrease in other. The relationship is inverse.

Step 3: Apply Formula:

PUT VALUES: 15X24=40XD

OR: D=15X24/40

CUTTING ON 5: p=3X24/8

CUTTING ON 8: p= 3X3 = 9(ANS).

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 5
 Q:6
Q.4 If 3 apples cost 50 paisas, how many apples can you buy for Rs. 20?

Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) Apples 2) Rupees [A&R]

Step 2: Now determine the relation: JUST THINK: If you have more money, can you buy more apples or
less apples. Obviously more rupees will give you more apples. So, Increase in one variable is causing
Increase in other. The relationship is direct.

Step 3: Apply Formula:

NOW LOOK, UNIT OF MONEY SHOULD BE SAME ON BOTH SIDES, EITHER PAISA ON BOTH SIDES OR
RUPEES ON BOTH SIDES. WE KEEP PAISAS ON BOTH SIDES. AND CONVERT RUPEEES TO PAISAS USING:
1 RUPEE=100 PAISAS

PUT VALUES: 3/50 = A/(20X100)

OR: 50XA=3X20X100

OR: P= 3X20X100/50

CUTTING ZEROS: P=3X20X10/5

CUTTING ON 5: P=3X20X2=120 APPLES. ANS.

Three Variable Questions:

Three variable questions are solved in the following steps:

1. READ THE QUESTION CAREFULLY AND FIND VARIABLE INVOLVED. NAME THESE VARIABLES LIKE ‘A’
‘B’ AND ‘C’.
2. Once of the variable will be unknown, let it be A.
3. Find relationship of variable A with B (direct or inverse) and form the formula. For example, if
relationship is direct, then:

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 6
4. Find relationship of variable A with C (direct or inverse) and form the formula. For example, if
relationship is inverse, then:

A1C1=A2C2

5. Now in final step, combine the two formulas formed and put the values to find the answer. For
this case; combining two formulas will give:
𝐴 𝐶 𝐴 𝐶
𝐵 𝐵

Q:7
Q.4 If 15 workers can paint 18 houses in 24 days. How many days would it take 40 workers
to paint 22 houses?

6
9
11
15
18

Sol:
Step 1: Identify Variables: 1) Workers (W) 2) Houses (H) 3) Days or time (D)

Step 2: We have to find our final answer in the form of days (D).

Step 3: Now first determine the relation between days and workers: JUST THINK: If you have more
workers, it will take less days to complete the same job (provided number of houses are fixed). The
relationship is inverse.

Step 4: Now determine the relation between days and houses: JUST THINK: If you have more houses,
it will take more days to paint them (provided number of workers are fixed). The relationship is direct.

Step 5: Combine two formulas and put values:

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 7
 15x24/18 = 40xD/22

Cutting on 3 and 2; 5x24/6 = 20xD/11

- 5x4 = 20xD/11

Or D = 5x4x11/20 = 4x11/4=11 Days. (C)

EXERCISES
Q.1 If a apples cost c paisas, how many apples can you buy for ‘d’ rupees?

100acd
100d/ac
ad/100c
c/100ad
100ad/c

[HINT: direct relation, convert rupees to paisas]

ANS=E

Q. 2 Ali types at the rate of 35 words per minute, how long will it take him to type 987
words?

[HINT: direct relation]

ANS=28.2 minutes

Q.3 Ali types at the rate of 35 words per minute, how many words can he type in 85
minutes?

[HINT: Direct relation]

In case of any confusions, please contact at:
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 8
ANS: 2975 words

Q.4 If 4 boys can wash a car in 2 hours? How many minutes will it take for 5 boys to wash
the same car?

60
72
96
120
150

[HINT: Inverse Relation, convert hours to minutes]

ANS=C

Q.5 Salman solved 24 problems in 15 minutes. How many problems can he solve in 40
minutes?

1. 25
2. 40
3. 48
4. 60
5. 64

[HINT: Direct Relation]

ANS=E

Q.6 Umair can grade „t‟ tests in „1/x‟ hours. How many tests can he grade in „x‟ hours?

1. tx
2. tx2
3. 1/t
4. x/t
5. 1/tx

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 9
[HINT: Direct Relation]

ANS=B

Q.7 A frog can move “I” inches in „m‟ minutes. How many feet can it move in „h‟ hours?

1. 5hi/m
2. 60hi/m
3. hi/12m
4. 5m/hi
5. 5him

[HINT: Direct Relation, convert hours to minute, and feet to inches: 1feet = 12 inches]

ANS=A

Q.8 If 500 packs of milk will feed 20 children for a week, for how many days will 200 packs
of milk will feed 14 children?

[HINT: 3 variables, milk M, children C and Days D. We have to find D. Days and milk have direct
relation and days and children have inverse. Final Formula: D1xC1/M1 = D2xC2/M2. Don’t forget to
convert week into days for consistency of units]

ANS=4 days

Q.9 If 8 men can reap 80 hectares in 24 days, how many hectares can 36 men reap in 30
days?

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 10
[HINT: 3 variables, men M, hectares H (a unit of land) and Days D. We have to find H. Hectares and
men have direct relation and hectares and days have direct relation also. Final Formula: H1/(M1xD1) =
H2/(M2xD2).]

ANS=450 Hectares.

In case of any confusions, please contact at:

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006884778858
Please distribute to others!!! Page 11