Question

Two bicyclists start twenty miles apart and head toward each other, each going at a steady rate of 10 m.p.h. At the same time, a fly that travels at a steady 15 m.p.h. starts from the front wheel of the southbound bicycle and flies to the front wheel of the northbound one, then turns around and flies to the front wheel of the southbound one again, and continues in this manner till he is crushed between the two front wheels. Question: what total distance did the fly cover?

Answer 1

15 miles

Step-by-step explanation:

Speed of both bicyclists is 10 mph

Speed of fly is 15 mph

Time they both will meet at is t

Distance they are apart is 20 miles

Distance = Speed×Time

`10t+10t=20\\\Rightarrow 20t=20\\\Rightarrow t=1\ h`

The time after which they will meet is 1 hour.

The distance traveled by the fly in hour is

`15* 1=15\ mi`

The total distance fly covered is 15 miles