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A tank in a Nashik housing society fills in 4 hours when both its taps run together. Running alone, the narrower tap needs 6 hours more than the wider one. How long does the WIDER tap take on its own?

Class 10Quadratic EquationsAlgebra — Quadratics
  • A6 hours
  • B12 hours
  • C10 hours
  • D4 hours

Step-by-Step Solution

Let the wider tap take hours alone, so the narrower takes . In one hour they fill of the tank → → → → → (reject −4). Check: . Answer 12 hours is the NARROWER tap; 10 hours just adds 4 + 6 without solving; 4 hours is the combined time, which no single tap can match.
Answer: A) 6 hours

Key idea: Word problems with quadratics

Many real-world problems lead to quadratics:

**Number problems**: 'Find two consecutive integers whose product is 132.' Let ; → → or −12. Both valid (or pick positive).

**Area problems**: 'A garden's length is 5 m more than its width. Area is . Find dimensions.'
Let width = . Length = → → (rejecting negative).

**Speed/time/distance**: 'A train takes 1 hour less if its speed is increased by 10 km/h. Original speed?' → typical setup: time1 − time2 = 1 → distance/speed equations → quadratic in speed.

**Always**: reject negative or extraneous roots if context demands positive (lengths, ages, speeds).

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