At 11 a.m., Penelope and Jane raced off together from the starting point of a course. Penelope ran at an average speed of 2 m/s. Jane ran at an average speed of 3 m/s. Upon reaching the end of the course, Jane rested for 4 minutes. She then immediately ran back along the same route at 3 m/s. At 11.35 a.m., Penelope met Jane.

1. Find the total distance covered by the two runners when they met each other. Express your answer in km.
2. Find the length of the trail in km.

(a)
From 11 a.m. to 11.35 a.m. = 35 min

Duration that Penelope ran = 35 min
Duration that Jane ran = 35 -  4 = 31 min

1 min = 60 s

31 min = 31 x 60 = 1860 s
35 min = 35 x 60 = 2100 s

Distance that Penelope ran
= 2 x 2100
= 4200 m

Distance that Jane ran
= 3 x 1860
= 5580 m

Distance that Penelope and Jane ran
= 4200 + 5580
= 9780 m

1000 m = 1 km

9780 m = 9780 ÷ 1000 = 9.78 km

(b)
Length of the trail
= 9.78 ÷ 2
= 4.89 km

Answer(s): (a) 9.78 km; (b) 4.89 km