At 14 10, Ethan left Town Z for Town A, driving at a speed of 72 km/h. At 15 10, Ryan also left Town Z for Town A driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 18 10, both of them passed a florist that was 144 km away from Town A. How many minutes earlier did Ryan reach Town A than Ethan?

Distance that Ethan travelled
= 4 x 72
= 288 km

Distance between Town Z and Town A
= 288 + 144
= 432 km

Since Ryan passed the florist at the same time as Ethan, it means that Ryan travelled 288 km in 3 hours.

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

Duration that Ryan took to reach Town A after passing the florist
= 144 ÷ 96
= 1.5 h

Duration that Ethan took to reach Town A after passing the florist
= 144 ÷ 72
= 2 h

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

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

Ryan reached Town A 30 minutes earlier than Ethan.

Answer(s): 30 min