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Math Problem-Help Please Ok my students sent this to me with some other things but I really don't want to feel dumb. For some reason I'm thinking I've seen this before and it's a riddle that has no answer but I need help :) And no, I obviously do not teach math (haha) Train A, traveling 50 miles per hour, leaves New York at 12:00pm heading toward Boston, 225 miles away. Train B, traveling 60 mph, leaves Boston at 12:30pm, heading toward New York. When do the two trains meet? |
It doesn't say the distance from Boston to New York, so I don't think there isn't an answer. |
:idontknow |
When they meet, they're both exactly the same distance from New York City. |
Of course, when the trains encounter, they will be approximately the same distance away from New York. The New York train will be closer to New York by approximately one train length because they're coming from different directions. That is, unless you take "meet" to mean "perfectly overlap". |
If the question is WHEN they meet....I got 4:22pm and 30 seconds. But I don't really know. Is there a time zone change? I keep thinking this HAS to be a logic puzzle. Maybe the answer is something like....when they crash? When the train schedule supervisor is fired? If it's WHERE...on the track? |
I believe it does have an answer. They should meet at 2:19pm, assuming they are both on the same track. :) At that point, Train A will have traveled 115.83 miles (2.32 hours * 50 miles per hour), which is 115.83 miles from NY. At that time, Train B will have traveled 109 miles (1.82 hours * 60 miles per hour), and since it left 225 miles away from NY, that's 225 miles - 109 miles = 116 miles from NY, which means at 2:19, it's at the same point where Train A is. |
close to the middle |
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I think my answer was better...yours requires too much thinking.... PS I hated those kind of math equations as a kid. |
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my attempt at an answer to the train problem .... Q. Train A, traveling 50 miles per hour, leaves New York at 12:00pm heading toward Boston, 225 miles away. Train B, traveling 60 mph, leaves Boston at 12:30pm, heading toward New York. When do the two trains meet? A> amd explanation ... Let x to be the time train B travels since Train A leaves ½ hour earlier, so Train A travels for (x+½ hours) or (x hours + 30min). the formula we need for this question is: rate*time=distance (RxT=D) so, for Train A, the distance it travels is 50(x+½)=D for Train B, the distance it travels is 60(x)=D 60x=225, therefore x= 3 hours and 45 minutes ... and the distance is given as 225 ... since Train B has to catch up with Train A, their distance must be equal! Things equal to the same thing are equal to each other ... thus:::: so our equation would be 50(x+{½ hour})=60(x) or in expanded form ... 50x + 50*½ hour = 60x minus 50x from both sides ::: 50*½ hour= 10x 50 * ½ hours = 1500 minutes= 10x divide both sides by 10 and x=150, thus X=150 minutes it will take train A, 3 hours to go 150 miles, (150/50= 3 hours) and it will take train B, 2½ hours to go 150 miles, (150/60= 2½ hours) so they shall meet up at 3:00 PM .. hope this helps you ....actually i hope it is right .... |
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I barely passed any math classes in high school, so I have nooooooooooooooooooooooooo idea! HAHAH! Good Luck! |
Okay guys ... here is the simple explanation (we should ALL get into the pearly gates now) it is as simple as this ... A chart ;;; Train A leaves at 12 noon... Train B leaves at 12:30pm at 1 pm- it has gone 50 miles at 2 pm it has gone 100 miles at 3 pm it has gone 150 |
does this make sense ... Okay guys ... here is the simple explanation (we should ALL get into the pearly gates now) it is as simple as this ... A chart :::: Train A leaves at 12 noon... at 1 pm- it has gone 50 miles at 2 pm it has gone 100 miles at 3 pm it has gone 150 Train B leaves at 12:30pm at 1:30 pm it has gone 60 miles at 2:30 pm it has gone 120 miles at 3:00 pm it has gone 150 miles my daughter figured this out therefore they meet at 3:00 PM .... |
My logic was... total distance between cities is 225 miles. Train A will make that trip in 4.5 hours (225/50). Train B will make that trip in 3.75 hours (225/60). If train B leaves 30 minutes later (or .5 hours) and the difference in travel times is .75 hours, then they'll meet somewhere close to the middle. If you want the exact answer, yes the math can be worked out for a precise time and distance. but I, too, thought it was probably a trick question about a city between those two places (like Hartford, CT) which someone who travels that trip would know. (this was my friends answer) |
:fainted: Thats what I would do if someone asked me this! |
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