GMAT Word Problems: If 40 percent of the machines…
Question
Each machine at a toy factory assembles a certain kind of toy at a constant rate of one toy every 3 minutes. If 40 percent of the machines at the factory are to be replaced by new machines that assemble this kind of toy at a constant rate of one toy every 2 minutes, what will be the percent increase in the number of toys assembled in one hour by all the machines at the factory, working at their constant rates?
- 20 %
- 25 %
- 30 %
- 40 %
- 50 %
Topics: word problems, percentages, rates
Solution
Step 1
We set up the variable for the machine count and turn "one toy every 3 minutes" and "one toy every 2 minutes" into hourly rates.
M = total number of machines 60/3 = 20 toys per hour per old machine 60/2 = 30 toys per hour per new machine
Step 2
We write the original hourly output when all machines are old.
Q_old = 20M
Step 3
We use "40 percent of the machines" to split the machines into old and new groups and then add their outputs.
Q_new = (0.6M) × 20 + (0.4M) × 30 = 12M + 12M = 24M
Step 4
We compare the change to the original to get the percent increase, then turn the resulting fraction into a percent.
Percent increase = (Q_new-Q_old)/(Q_old) × 100% = (24M-20M)/(20M) × 100% = 4M20M × 100% = 1/5 × 100% = 20%
Answer
20 % (A)
