ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)Arithmetic Reasoning (AR)Hard
A supply technician is packing emergency kits. Each kit requires 3 cans of food, 2 bottles of water, and 1 first-aid packet. If the technician has 54 cans of food, 40 bottles of water, and 20 first-aid packets, what is the maximum number of complete emergency kits that can be assembled?
- A18
- B16
- C13
- D20
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: B. 16
To find the maximum number of kits, calculate how many kits can be made based on each individual component, then choose the smallest number, as that component will run out first and limit the total.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. This is the number of kits that could be made if only considering the cans of food (54 / 3 = 18).
- C. This is incorrect; it might result from averaging or an incorrect limiting factor calculation.
- D. This is the number of kits that could be made if only considering the first-aid packets (20 / 1 = 20).
Limiting Factor (Assembly)
In an assembly process, the limiting factor is the component that is available in the smallest quantity relative to its requirement per unit, thus determining the maximum number of units that can be produced.
- Identify all components and their required quantities per unit.
- Calculate potential units from each component's total availability.
- The lowest potential unit count is the limiting factor.
Memory trick: The 'least' piece makes the 'most' kits!