Problema Solution
two people start at a different point and walk toward eachother, one at 3mpr and the other at 5mph. if the slower walker start 30minutes before the faster walker. how long will they walk before they meet if the starting points are 29.5 miles apart
Answer provided by our tutors
Equation for the slower walker (30 minutes, 30/60=1/2 hr headstart):
d = 3(t+1/2)
Equation for the faster walker:
d = 5t
solving this sytem of two linear equations by elimination for 'd':
d = 3t + 3/2
d = 5t
(5/3)d = 5t + (5/3)(3/2)
d = 5t
(5/3)d - d = (5/2)
(2d)/3 = (5/2)
2d = 3(5/2)
d = (3/2)(5/2)
d = 15/4 = 3.75
they will meet after 3.75 hours
the fast walker will have gone 5 * 3.75 = 18.75 miles
the slow walker will have gone 3 * 3.75 = 11.25 miles