Answer:
The butterfly traveled a distance of 69 miles.
Explanation:
Given that:
- The distance between Maria and John = 30 miles
- Maria's speed = 10 mph
- John's speed = 5 mph
- Butterfly's speed = 30 mph
We want to find how far the butterfly traveled.
First note that Speed is the ratio of distance traveled to the time taken.
It is given as
s = D/t
where s is speed, D is distance, and t is time.
From this, we can say that
D = st
That is, distance is the product of speed and time.
Maria ran at 10mph. Let the distance she ran be D1. Then
D1 = 10×t = 10t miles
John ran at 5mph. Let the distance he ran be D2. Then
D2 = 5×t = 5t miles
The total distance between them is 30 miles. That is the sum of D1 and D2 is 30
D1 + D2 = 10t + 5t = 30
15t = 30
t = 30/15
t = 2 hours
Meaning it took Maria and John 2 hours to meet.
Now, a butterfly starting on Maria's skateboard flew back and forth between the two skateboards until they met. It flew at a speed of 30mph, and at time 2 hours, we can easily obtain the distance it covered.
D = st
D = 30×2
= 60
Distance = 60 miles
Therefore, the butterfly traveled a distance of 60 miles.