At 10 30, George left Town X for Town Y, driving at a speed of 72 km/h. At 12 30, Tim also left Town X for Town Y driving at a certain speed. Both of them did not change their speed throughout the journey. At 15 30, both of them passed a mosque that was 144 km away from Town Y. How many minutes earlier did Tim reach Town Y than George?

Distance that George travelled
= 5 x 72
= 360 km

Distance between Town X and Town Y
= 360 + 144
= 504 km

Since Tim passed the mosque at the same time as George, it means that Tim travelled 360 km in 3 hours.

Tim's speed during the journey
= 360 ÷ 3
= 120 km/h

Duration that Tim took to reach Town Y after passing the mosque
= 144 ÷ 120
= 1.2 h

Duration that George took to reach Town Y after passing the mosque
= 144 ÷ 72
= 2 h

Difference between the time they took to reach Town Y
= 2 - 1.2
= 0.8 h

1 h = 60 min
0.8 h = 0.8 x 60 = 48 min

Tim reached Town Y 48 minutes earlier than George.

Answer(s): 48 min