Determining Time for a Boy to Write a Page

The question asks, "If 5 boys write 5 pages in 5 minutes, in how many minutes can one boy write one page?" To answer this, let's break down the problem step by step and explore the reasoning behind the steps.

Understanding the Problem

The statement given is: "5 boys write 5 pages in 5 minutes."

Step-by-Step Analysis

Step 1: Breakdown of Individual Contributions

Let's break down the problem by assigning individual contributions. If 5 boys collectively write 5 pages in 5 minutes, it means that each boy is contributing equally to the work. Therefore, each boy is responsible for writing 1 page within the 5 minutes.

Step 2: Determining Individual Time

Given that each boy writes 1 page in 5 minutes, we can conclude that the time taken by one boy to write one page is 5 minutes.

Step 3: Verification of Assumptions

It's important to verify that the problem does not imply that each boy writes a separate page independently. The problem clearly states that the boys work together to write 5 pages in total.

Step 4: Mathematical Representation

Mathematically, we can represent this as a proportion:

Boy per page Time per page

x/5 5/1

Solving for x:

x 25/5 5 minutes

Conclusion

Based on the analysis and the given information, it is clear that one boy can write one page in 5 minutes. This conclusion is consistent with the statement that 5 boys write 5 pages in 5 minutes, as each boy is individually responsible for writing one page.

Additional Insights

The problem of determining the time taken by one boy to write one page is a common question in discussing work rates and proportional reasoning. Understanding these concepts can be helpful in solving other similar problems and in real-world applications such as project management and resource allocation.