At 11 30, Perry left Town L for Town M, driving at a speed of 80 km/h. At 12 30, George also left Town L for Town M driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 16 30, both of them passed a florist that was 160 km away from Town M. How many minutes earlier did George reach Town M than Perry?

Distance that Perry travelled
= 5 x 80
= 400 km

Distance between Town L and Town M
= 400 + 160
= 560 km

Since George passed the florist at the same time as Perry, it means that George travelled 400 km in 4 hours.

George's speed during the journey
= 400 ÷ 4
= 100 km/h

Duration that George took to reach Town M after passing the florist
= 160 ÷ 100
= 1.6 h

Duration that Perry took to reach Town M after passing the florist
= 160 ÷ 80
= 2 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town M
= 2 - 1.6
= 0.4 h

1 h = 60 min
0.4 h = 0.4 x 60 = 24 min

George reached Town M 24 minutes earlier than Perry.

Answer(s): 24 min