Question

Difficulty: Very hardRatios, Rates, and Proportions

Three water pumps, P1P_1, P2P_2, and P3P_3, operate at constant individual rates to fill a large reservoir. The ratio of the pumping rate of P1P_1 to that of P2P_2 is 3:43 : 4, and the ratio of the pumping rate of P2P_2 to that of P3P_3 is 3:53 : 5.

At 8:00 AM, all three pumps begin filling an empty reservoir together. At 10:00 AM, pump P1P_1 shuts down, while P2P_2 and P3P_3 continue operating at their original rates. At 11:00 AM, the operating rate of P2P_2 is decreased by 25%25\%, and the operating rate of P3P_3 is increased by 25%25\%. The two remaining pumps continue at these adjusted rates until the reservoir is completely full at 1:00 PM.

If pump P3P_3 were to fill the empty reservoir working alone at its original constant rate, how many hours would it take?

Answer: 9.1 hours

Answer

It would take pump P3P_3 exactly 9.19.1 hours (or 9.19.1 when entered numerically) to fill the empty reservoir alone at its original constant rate.
By unifying the given ratios r1:r2=3:4r_1 : r_2 = 3 : 4 and r2:r3=3:5r_2 : r_3 = 3 : 5, we obtain the relative rates r1=9kr_1 = 9k, r2=12kr_2 = 12k, and r3=20kr_3 = 20k. Summing the work done across the three intervals (8–10 AM at rate 41k41k, 10–11 AM at rate 32k32k, and 11 AM–1 PM at rate 34k34k) yields a total capacity of 182k182k. Dividing total work 182k182k by P3P_3's original rate of 20k20k gives 9.19.1 hours.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Unify the individual pumping rate ratios into a single ratio r1:r2:r3r_1 : r_2 : r_3.
r1=9kr_1 = 9k, r2=12kr_2 = 12k, r3=20kr_3 = 20k
Aligning the ratio of P1:P2=3:4=9:12P_1:P_2 = 3:4 = 9:12 and P2:P3=3:5=12:20P_2:P_3 = 3:5 = 12:20 establishes a common scale factor kk.
2
Calculate the work completed in each of the three time intervals.
W1=82kW_1 = 82k, W2=32kW_2 = 32k, W3=68kW_3 = 68k
Multiply the duration of each interval by the sum of active rates during that period.
3
Sum the total work completed to get total capacity and divide by P3P_3's original rate.
Total capacity =182k= 182k; Time =182k20k=9.1= \frac{182k}{20k} = 9.1 hours
The total work equals the sum of work done across all three phases, and time is work divided by rate.

Key Concept

Multi-stage work rates, compound ratio unification, and percentage rate adjustments
Estimated Time:3m 0s
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