At 13 10, Cole left Town D for Town E, driving at a speed of 72 km/h. At 14 10, Paul also left Town D for Town E driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 17 10, both of them passed a cinema that was 144 km away from Town E. How many minutes earlier did Paul reach Town E than Cole?

Distance that Cole travelled
= 4 x 72
= 288 km

Distance between Town D and Town E
= 288 + 144
= 432 km

Since Paul passed the cinema at the same time as Cole, it means that Paul travelled 288 km in 3 hours.

Paul's speed during the journey
= 288 ÷ 3
= 96 km/h

Duration that Paul took to reach Town E after passing the cinema
= 144 ÷ 96
= 1.5 h

Duration that Cole took to reach Town E after passing the cinema
= 144 ÷ 72
= 2 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town E
= 2 - 1.5
= 0.5 h

1 h = 60 min
0.5 h = 0.5 x 60 = 30 min

Paul reached Town E 30 minutes earlier than Cole.

Answer(s): 30 min