In a queue at a railway ticket window, Ravi is 15th from the front. Sita stands somewhere behind Ravi and is 9th from the back. What is the smallest number of people the queue can have?

Explanation

1. 01

   Sita is behind Ravi, so she is at least 16th from the front.

2. 02

   If she is exactly 16th from the front and 9th from the back, the queue has $16 + 9 - 1 = 24$ people.

3. 03

   Any gap between them only adds people, so the minimum is 24.