At 7 a.m., Elyse and Gem raced off together from the starting point of a route. Elyse ran at an average speed of 1 m/s. Gem ran at an average speed of 3 m/s. Upon reaching the end of the route, Gem rested for 4 minutes. She then immediately ran back along the same route at 3 m/s. At 7.25 a.m., Elyse met Gem.
- Find the total distance covered by the two runners when they met each other. Express your answer in km.
- Find the length of the trail in km.
(a)
From 7 a.m. to 7.25 a.m. = 25 min
Duration that Elyse ran = 25 min
Duration that Gem ran = 25 - 4 = 21 min
1 min = 60 s
21 min = 21 x 60 = 1260 s
25 min = 25 x 60 = 1500 s
Distance that Elyse ran
= 1 x 1500
= 1500 m
Distance that Gem ran
= 3 x 1260
= 3780 m
Distance that Elyse and Gem ran
= 1500 + 3780
= 5280 m
1000 m = 1 km
5280 m = 5280 ÷ 1000 = 5.28 km
(b)
Length of the trail
= 5.28 ÷ 2
= 2.64 km
Answer(s): (a) 5.28 km; (b) 2.64 km