At 9 a.m., Fiona and Nicole raced off together from the starting point of a path. Fiona ran at an average speed of 3 m/s. Nicole ran at an average speed of 4 m/s. Upon reaching the end of the path, Nicole rested for 5 minutes. She then immediately ran back along the same route at 4 m/s. At 9.30 a.m., Fiona met Nicole.

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 Nicole ran = 30 -  5 = 25 min

1 min = 60 s

25 min = 25 x 60 = 1500 s
30 min = 30 x 60 = 1800 s

Distance that Fiona ran
= 3 x 1800
= 5400 m

Distance that Nicole ran
= 4 x 1500
= 6000 m

Distance that Fiona and Nicole ran
= 5400 + 6000
= 11400 m

1000 m = 1 km

11400 m = 11400 ÷ 1000 = 11.4 km

(b)
Length of the trail
= 11.4 ÷ 2
= 5.7 km

Answer(s): (a) 11.4 km; (b) 5.7 km