The Flight of the Bumblebee

Algebra Level 1

Two trains 100 km apart each travel towards each other at 10 km per hour. A bumblebee starts flying back and forth between the two trains at 60 km per hour, until the two trains crash into each other. What is the total distance traveled by the bumblebee?

Note: Enter number only, without units.


The answer is 300.

Aronas Nuresi by Aronas Nuresi , 46, India

This section requires Javascript.
You are seeing this because something didn't load right. We suggest you, (a) try refreshing the page, (b) enabling javascript if it is disabled on your browser and, finally, (c) loading the non-javascript version of this page . We're sorry about the hassle.

3 solutions

Since the two trains have the same speed, they will collide at the center (50 km from the starting point). So the number of hours to collide is

t = 50 10 = 5 t=\dfrac{50}{10}=5

And the total distance traveled by the bee is

d = 60 ( 5 ) = 300 k m d=60(5)=300~km

1 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused
Fatima Fouad
Apr 29, 2014

Since the trains are both travelling at the same speed, hence they will crash into each other halfway. Hence, 100/2=50. This is the distance covered by the trains when they crash. By: 10=50/t, we can say that the time takes for trains to crash is 5 hours. Hence this is the time taken for the bumblebee to travel. Therefore: 60= D/5, and the distance travelled by the bee is 300.

0 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused
Aronas Nuresi
Apr 23, 2014

t = 50 10 = 5 hrs t=\frac{50}{10}=5 \text{ hrs}

d = 60 × 5 = 300 km d=60 \ \times 5=300 \text{ km}

0 Helpful 0 Interesting 0 Brilliant 0 Confused

Can u please explain it properly I don't get ur ans

ajinkya Kulkarni - 7 years, 1 month ago

Log in to reply

Each train simultaneously travels 100 2 = 50 km \frac{100}{2}=50 \text{ km} towards each other till they meet in the middle.

∴ \therefore the total travel time t = 50 10 = 5 hrs t=\frac{50}{10}=5 \text{ hrs} .

∴ \therefore the bumblebee travels back and forth between the two trains for a total of 5 hrs 5 \text{ hrs} at 60 km/h 60 \text{ km/h}

∴ \therefore the total distance covered by the bumblebee d = 60 × 5 = 300 km d=60 \times 5=300 \text{ km}

This is a very complicated sounding problem with a very simple algebraic solution :-)

Aronas Nuresi - 7 years, 1 month ago

When they crash, they have covered the whole distance of 100km. They take 5 hours. Thr bumblebee flies 300km in 5 hours.

Jovin Draw - 6 years, 10 months ago

0 pending reports

×

Problem Loading...

Note Loading...

Set Loading...