Question

Right now, Adam is on a tall ladder, 50 feet above the ground.

Jamie is below him (on the ground) holding a balloon.
A horn blows, and the experiment begins:
Jamie lets go of the balloon, and Adam starts climbing.
Adam can climb up the ladder at a rate of 1 foot per second.
Jamie's balloon rises at a rate of 5 feet per second.
Adam is supposed to try and pop the balloon from the ladder.
When will the balloon & Adam be at the same height?

Make your answer as accurate as you can.
There are many ways to find the answer.
Show your method clearly on your poster.
When you finish, try to find another method!

Answer 1

16.5 seconds pass before Adam can pop the balloon.

Step-by-step explantion

Givens

• Adam is 50 higher than the balloon to start with.
• He climbs at 1 foot per second
• The Balloon goes up at a rate of 5 feet per second.

Equation

Let the number of seconds that have passed before they are at the same height = x

• x*1 + 50 = 5x

Solution

• x + 50 = 5x Subtract x from both sides
• x - x + 50 = 5x - x Combine
• 50 = 4x Divide by 4
• 50/4 = 4x/4 Do the division
• 16.5 = x Answer

So 16.5 seconds will pass before Adam can pop the balloon.