Question

Scarecrow and the Tin Man are walking in a field toward Emerald City! When they start walking, Scarecrow is 25 meters away and Tin Man is 40 meters away. Scarecrow is walking at a rate of 5 meters per minute and Tin Man is walking at a rate of 10 meters per minute. After how many minutes will Scarecrow and Tin Man be the same distance from Emerald City? What are two equations to solve this problem?

Answer 1

Time be x distance be y

• y=25-5x
• y=40-10x

Solve for x

• 25-5x=40-10x
• 5x=40-25
• 5x=15
• x=3min

Answer 2

• 3 minutes

Explanation:

Required equations are:

• d = 25 - 5x and
• d = 40 - 10x

Since d is same for both, we substitute d and solve for x:

• 25 - 5x = 40 - 10x
• 10x - 5x = 40 - 25
• 5x = 15
• x = 3

They will be at same distance after 3 minutes