A boat can bear the weight of 4 men or 12 boys . How many boys can go with 3 men in the boat at a time ?

Options

A. 6 boys
B. 3 boys
C. 9 boys
D. 2 boys

Answer

To solve the problem, we need to determine how many boys can accompany 3 men in the boat, given that the boat can bear the weight of either 4 men or 12 boys.

### Step-by-step Solution:

1. **Understand the weight equivalence**:
The boat can carry either 4 men or 12 boys. This means that the weight of 4 men is equal to the weight of 12 boys.

2. **Find the weight of one man in terms of boys**:
To find how many boys are equivalent to one man, we can set up the following equation:
\[ 4 \text{ men} = 12 \text{ boys} \]
Dividing both sides by 4 gives:
\[ 1 \text{ man} = \frac{12 \text{ boys}}{4} = 3 \text{ boys} \]

3. **Calculate the weight of 3 men in terms of boys**:
Now that we know 1 man is equivalent to 3 boys, we can find the equivalent weight of 3 men:
\[ 3 \text{ men} = 3 \times 3 \text{ boys} = 9 \text{ boys} \]

4. **Determine the total capacity of the boat**:
Since the boat can carry the equivalent weight of 12 boys, and we already have the weight of 3 men (which is equivalent to 9 boys), we can find out how many additional boys can be accommodated:
\[ \text{Total capacity} - \text{Weight of 3 men} = 12 \text{ boys} - 9 \text{ boys} = 3 \text{ boys} \]

5. **Conclusion**:
Therefore, the number of boys that can go with 3 men in the boat at a time is **3 boys**.