56 men can complete a piece of work in 24 days. In how many days can 42 men complete the same piece of work?
(a)18
(b)32
(c)48
(d)98
(e)None of these
Answer
Answer (as printed): B
Explanation
Let the required number of days be $x$. Less men, More days (Indirect Proportion) $$\begin{aligned} & \therefore 42: 56:: 24: x \\ & \Leftrightarrow 42 x=56 \times 24 \Leftrightarrow x=\left(\frac{56 \times 24}{42}\right)=32 . \end{aligned}$$
Explanation as extracted from the printed page; notation may be imperfect.