Question

Gerry arrived at the bus stop x hours past noon. Dale arrived 4 hours later. Pat arrived at 5 P.M., x hours after Dale.

At what time did Gerry arrive at the bus stop? [Your answer must include an A.M. or a P.M.]

Answer 1

Gerry arrived at the bus station at 12:30 P.M.

Explanation:

From noon and 5:00 P.M. there are 5 hours.

Gerry, Dale, and Pat arrived at the bus stop within that interval, which means the sum of the times elapsed between their arrival times must be 5.

4 out of the 5 hours elapsed since Gerry and Dale's arrivals. This means there is only one hour left for twice x.

If twice x is one hour, then x is half an hour. Thus, the complete sequence of arrivals is:

Gerry arrived at the bus station at 12:30 P.M.

Dale arrived at the bus station at 4:30 P.M.

Pat arrived at the bus station at 5:00 P.M.