At 11 a.m., Cathy and Elyse raced off together from the starting point of a path. Cathy ran at an average speed of 2 m/s. Elyse ran at an average speed of 3 m/s. Upon reaching the end of the path, Elyse rested for 3 minutes. She then immediately ran back along the same route at 3 m/s. At 11.25 a.m., Cathy met Elyse.

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 11.25 a.m. = 25 min

Duration that Cathy ran = 25 min
Duration that Elyse ran = 25 -  3 = 22 min

1 min = 60 s

22 min = 22 x 60 = 1320 s
25 min = 25 x 60 = 1500 s

Distance that Cathy ran
= 2 x 1500
= 3000 m

Distance that Elyse ran
= 3 x 1320
= 3960 m

Distance that Cathy and Elyse ran
= 3000 + 3960
= 6960 m

1000 m = 1 km

6960 m = 6960 ÷ 1000 = 6.96 km

(b)
Length of the trail
= 6.96 ÷ 2
= 3.48 km

Answer(s): (a) 6.96 km; (b) 3.48 km