In an office, there are grade A and grade B clerks. Every clerk contributes as many rupees as the number of clerks in his grade. The total contribution is Rs. 317; what is the total number of clerks?
Verified Answer
A. 25
B. 20
C. 26
D. Data incomplete
Explanation:
Let 'a' be the number of grade A clerks and 'b' be the number of grade B clerks. The total contribution is a^2 + b^2 = 317. By checking perfect squares, we find that 11^2 + 14^2 = 121 + 196 = 317. Thus, there are 11 clerks in one grade and 14 in the other. The total number of clerks is 11 + 14 = 25.