Question

Two ants, Andy and Ashley, went to visit their friend. Andy crawled the whole way, but Ashley spent half of the way riding on a caterpillar, which was two times slower than crawling. Ashley spent the second half of the journey riding on a grasshopper, which was 5 times faster than crawling. Which ant got to their friend's house first, if they left at the same time?

Answer 1

Andy

Explanation:

Let's say that x is Andy's speed, and d is the distance he traveled.

The time it takes Andy to reach his friend is d/x.

The time it takes Ashley to travel the first half is (d/2)/(x/2) = d/x.

The time it takes Ashley to travel the second half is (d/2)/(5x) = d/(10x).

The total time is d/x + d/(10x) = 1.1 d/x.

It takes Ashley 1.1 times longer to reach the friend. Andy gets there first.