Supervisor: “You should average 360 seconds per transaction.” Employee: “If I work 20 6-hour shifts this month and I meet that goal, I will make a total of __ transactions.”
The correct answer and explanation is:
Let’s break down the problem step-by-step:
Problem:
- Supervisor says the employee should average 360 seconds per transaction.
- The employee plans to work 20 shifts, each shift lasting 6 hours.
- Question: If the employee meets the goal of 360 seconds per transaction, how many transactions will the employee complete in total during the 20 shifts?
Step 1: Convert shift hours to seconds
Each shift is 6 hours long.
- 1 hour = 60 minutes
- 1 minute = 60 seconds
So, 6 hours=6×60×60=21,600 seconds6 \text{ hours} = 6 \times 60 \times 60 = 21,600 \text{ seconds}
Step 2: Calculate total work seconds in 20 shifts
20 shifts×21,600 seconds/shift=432,000 seconds20 \text{ shifts} \times 21,600 \text{ seconds/shift} = 432,000 \text{ seconds}
Step 3: Calculate number of transactions per second
Since 1 transaction takes 360 seconds: Transactions=Total secondsSeconds per transaction=432,000360=1,200 transactions\text{Transactions} = \frac{\text{Total seconds}}{\text{Seconds per transaction}} = \frac{432,000}{360} = 1,200 \text{ transactions}
Final Answer:
If the employee meets the goal, they will complete 1,200 transactions in 20 shifts.
Explanation (300 words):
This problem is a practical example of applying unit conversions and basic arithmetic to understand productivity goals.
The supervisor sets a target rate: 360 seconds per transaction. This means the employee should take an average of 360 seconds (or 6 minutes) to complete one transaction.
The employee plans to work 20 shifts, each lasting 6 hours. To find out how many transactions can be completed, we first convert the total work time into seconds because the transaction rate is given in seconds.
Each 6-hour shift equals 21,600 seconds (6 hours × 60 minutes × 60 seconds). Over 20 shifts, the total working time is 432,000 seconds (20 × 21,600).
Next, we divide the total working seconds by the seconds per transaction to find the total number of transactions completed. Dividing 432,000 by 360 gives 1,200 transactions.
This means that if the employee consistently works at the target speed, completing one transaction every 360 seconds, they will complete 1,200 transactions in 20 shifts.
This kind of calculation is important for workforce planning and productivity analysis. It helps supervisors estimate how many tasks can be completed within a given work schedule, and employees understand how their pace affects total output.
In real-life work environments, factors like breaks, variations in task complexity, or efficiency may impact this number, but this calculation assumes a steady pace and no interruptions.