Question

The distance between port M and port N is 162m. A ship left port M with a speed of 45 mph. In 45 minutes another ship left port N and went towards the first ship with a speed of 36 mph. How long after the departure of the first ship will the two ships meet?

Answer 1

900 min

Explanation:

Answer 2

After 900 minutes

Explanation:

when we convert the velocities of the ships into miles/ min we get

`45mph=45m/60min=0.75m/min`

`36mph=36m/60min=0.6m/min`

The equations determining the distances of the ships from the port M (set at x=0) are

`D_1=0.75t` (for 45mph ship)

`D_2=162+0.6(t-45)` (for 36mph ship)

The solution to these equation lie at t= 900 minutes; therefore the two ships will meet 900 minutes after the departure of the first ship.