A pipe can fill a cistern in 12 min and another pipe can fill it in 15...
Given information:
- One pipe can fill the cistern in 12 minutes.
- Another pipe can fill the cistern in 15 minutes.
- A third pipe can empty the cistern in 6 minutes.
Approach:
1. Find the rate of each pipe to determine how much water they can fill or empty in 1 minute.
2. Calculate the net rate at which water is filled or emptied from the cistern.
3. Determine the time taken to empty the cistern using the net rate.
Calculations:
1. Rate of filling by the first pipe:
- The first pipe can fill the cistern in 12 minutes, so its rate is 1/12 cistern per minute.
2. Rate of filling by the second pipe:
- The second pipe can fill the cistern in 15 minutes, so its rate is 1/15 cistern per minute.
3. Rate of emptying by the third pipe:
- The third pipe can empty the cistern in 6 minutes, so its rate is 1/6 cistern per minute.
4. Net rate of filling or emptying:
- When the first two pipes are open for 5 minutes, they fill the cistern at a rate of (1/12 + 1/15) cistern per minute.
- The net rate of filling by the first two pipes is (1/12 + 1/15) - (1/6) = 1/60 cistern per minute.
5. Time taken to empty the cistern:
- After the first two pipes are open for 5 minutes, the third pipe is also opened.
- The net rate of filling or emptying is 1/60 cistern per minute.
- As the third pipe can empty the cistern, the net rate is negative.
- The time taken to empty the cistern completely is the reciprocal of the net rate, which is 60 minutes.
Therefore, the correct answer is option D) 45 minutes.