At 9 a.m., Fiona and Nora raced off together from the starting point of a pathway. Fiona ran at an average speed of 2 m/s. Nora ran at an average speed of 4 m/s. Upon reaching the end of the pathway, Nora rested for 3 minutes. She then immediately ran back along the same route at 4 m/s. At 9.30 a.m., Fiona met Nora.

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 9 a.m. to 9.30 a.m. = 30 min

Duration that Fiona ran = 30 min
Duration that Nora ran = 30 -  3 = 27 min

1 min = 60 s

27 min = 27 x 60 = 1620 s
30 min = 30 x 60 = 1800 s

Distance that Fiona ran
= 2 x 1800
= 3600 m

Distance that Nora ran
= 4 x 1620
= 6480 m

Distance that Fiona and Nora ran
= 3600 + 6480
= 10080 m

1000 m = 1 km

10080 m = 10080 ÷ 1000 = 10.08 km

(b)
Length of the trail
= 10.08 ÷ 2
= 5.04 km

Answer(s): (a) 10.08 km; (b) 5.04 km