Question of the Day-Quantitative Ability

QUESTION:
Five numbers to be added are entered in different columns in an excel sheet. While writing the formula to calculate their sum, a user enters the wrong formula three times. First, he multiplies the numbers in order by 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 before adding to get the result 1, then he multiplies the numbers in order by 3, 3, 7, 8 and 10 before adding to get the result 4. Finally, he multiplies them in order by 3, 2, 5, 5 and 6 before adding to get the sum 8. What is their actual sum?


OPTIONS
1) 2
2) 4
3) 5
4) Cannot be determined

Solution


Let the numbers in order be a, b, c, d and e.
It is given that
a + 2b + 3c + 4d + 5e = 1              … (i)
3a + 3b + 7c + 8d + 10e = 4          … (ii)
3a + 2b + 5c + 5d + 6e = 8            … (iii)
Subtracting the equation (i) from (ii), we get
2a + b + 4c + 4d + 5e = 3              … (iv)
Subtracting equation (iv) from (iii), we get
a + b + c + d + e = 5
Thus, the actual value of the sum is 5.
Hence, option 3.

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