Quick Maths Question

[Shicky]

Doing numeracy tests for a job and this question has confused me. Basically its about extraction coal from a mine. It says the rate of extraction is 46,324 tonnes per year. It also states there is 68.27 million tonnes remaining.

The question asks when it can expect the mine to run out of coal, the answers provided range between 1.5years and 7.5years. Can anybody answer this? To me it seems the answer would be waaaay over the options

 

[Darg]

With those figures the answer would appear to be 1473.75 years.

Maybe it's a trick question. It would depend on how much coal is accessible by todays technology.

EDIT: Also on how much coal the miners nick to burn at home

 

[Ahleckz]

68.27 million tonnes = 68270 thousand.

If you can extract 46324 per year you just divide them, so it takes 1.47 years... Which isn't in your provided answers...
Do you have to now convert 1.47 of a year into the twelve months? So it should take aprox. 1 year, 5 months and 25 days?

 

[GhostlyPea]

- Pea0n

Edit - oops missread!

 

[r2d2]

You sure its 46,324 tonnes a year?

Answer is 68.27 mill/ 46,324 surely.

 

[Darg]

68.27 million tonnes = 68270 thousand.

If you can extract 46324 per year you just divide them, so it takes 1.47 years... Which isn't in your provided answers...
Do you have to now convert 1.47 of a year into the twelve months? So it should take aprox. 1 year, 5 months and 25 days?

I'm not sure where you got 68.27 million tonnes being 68,270... o.O

It's clearly 68,270,000 divided by 46,324.

 

[r2d2]

With those figures the answer would appear to be 1473.75 years.

Maybe it's a trick question. It would depend on how much coal is accessible by todays technology.

EDIT: Also on how much coal the miners nick to burn at home

This.

 

[Jotun]

http://www.wolframalpha.com/input/?i=68.27+million+tonnes+/46,324+tonnes+per+year+

1474 years

 

[GhostlyPea]

You sure its 46,324 tonnes a year?

Answer is 68.27 mill/ 46,324 surely.

This. Seems wrong?

68 270 000
---------------
46 324

= 1473.75 years?

 

[roid]

I bet the question is just plain wrong ;p

 

[Ahleckz]

I'm not sure where you got 68.27 million tonnes being 68,270... o.O

It's clearly 68,270,000 divided by 46,324.

Yeah, I got muddled up with my zeros!

68.27 million = 68270 thousand = 68270000.

6827000/46324.
My mistake, it's 1473 years.

Conclusion - the question is wrong.

 

[Darg]

You should also factor in how many deaths by orcs will occur the deeper into the mines you go.

God help them if they find the Balrog...

 

[Shicky]

I thought I was just being a special kind of retarded because im hungover but I guess it must be wrong. The correct answer is 1.5years according to it. I didn't expect to see any mistakes as its the SHL guys that many companies use for these assessments

 

[roid]

You must have written the wrong numbers down then!

 

[Shicky]

Nope, im staring at the question right now, definately not got the wrong figures

 

[chumpit]

Is it a progressive question???
i.e you have to work out a previous answer that helps solve this question??

 

[Darg]

Then it's just plain wrong. It must have meant 46.324 million tonnes a year or 68.27 thousand tonnes total.

 

[Gaidin109]

What is the entire question and is it related to any previous question on extraction techniques etc?

 

[dandos23]

Then it's just plain wrong. It must have meant 46.324 million tonnes a year or 68.27 thousand tonnes total.

Either way, that would make it 1.5 years.

 

[Shicky]

Its numerical reasoning tests so they dont use progressive questions. In fact it was the second question and the first didn't relate. You're just given a table with this information and must calculate the answers based on the information. I guess its just a random mistake, I haven't read it wrong