If 3 machines together produce 180 items in 6 hours, what is the production rate per machine per hour?

• A. 10 items per hour per machine
• B. 5 items per hour per machine
• C. 15 items per hour per machine
• D. 20 items per hour per machine

Answer: (A)

To find production per machine per hour, first determine the overall output per hour and then divide by the number of machines.

180 items are produced in 6 hours, so the total per hour is 180 ÷ 6 = 30 items per hour. With three machines working, the per-machine rate is 30 ÷ 3 = 10 items per hour per machine.

So the production rate per machine per hour is 10 items. If each machine produced 5 items per hour, three machines would put out only 15 items per hour, totaling 90 in 6 hours—far short of 180. If each produced 15 or 20 items per hour, total output would be 45 or 60 items per hour, resulting in 270 or 360 items in 6 hours—also not matching 180.