Question

It takes two hours to drive between the towns of Potter and Germantown. It takes 8 hours to make the trip by bicycle. How long will it take for a car and a bicycle to meet, starting at opposite towns at the same time?

Answer 1

The car is 4 times as fast as the bicycle:

8/2 = 4

Speed of the Car: SC

Speed of the Bicycle: SB

Distance between towns = x

Distance = speed x time

x = SC x 2

x= SB x 8

2 SC = 8 SB

SC = 8 SB /2

SC = 4 SB (a)

In order to meet, the sum of the distances covered by each vehicle must be equal to x.

(SC)t+ (SB) t= x

Where t= time

from (a):

4SB(t)+SB (t)= x

5SB (t)= x

5 SB (t) = 8 SB

t= 8 SB/5 SB

t= 8/5 h = 1.6 hours