Question

The distance between Point A and Point B is 3120 meters. Caroline leaves Point A and Laura leaves Point B at the same time. The two girls cycle toward each other until they meet at Point C. Caroline's speed is 7.2 meters per second, and Laura's speed is 8.4 meters per second. How long does Laura take to reach Point C? What is the distance between Point A to Point C ?

Answer 1

The time it will take for the girls to reach a common point is the same. Say we represent the distance traveled by Caroline as x and that of Laura as y. The equations that would best represent the given situation are,
x + y = 3120
x/7.2 = y/8.4
The equations above will give answers for x and y as 1440 meters and 1680 meters, respectively. The answer to the first question is 1440/7.2 or 200 s and to the second question is 1440 meters.