The Hare and the Tortoise
Haretown and Tortoiseville are 48 miles apart. A hare travels at 7 miles per hour from Haretown to Tortoiseville, while a tortoise travels at 1 miles per hour from Tortoiseville to Haretown.
If both set out at the same time, how many miles will the hare have to travel before meeting the tortoise en route?
The answer is 42.
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1 solution
Note that : Distance = Speed × Time
Let t be the time before the hare and the tortoise meet.
In t hours, the hare will travel 7 t miles.
In t hours, the tortoise will travel 1 t miles.
Now, 7 t + 1 t = 48
So, t = 48 ⁄ 8 = 6 hours.
Thus, distance traveled by hare before meeting = 7 × 6 = 42 miles.