A bug is traveling between 2 points so that the distance...

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swerve: Legendary Member; Posts: 2499; Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2017 2:04 pm; Followed by:6 members

A bug is traveling between 2 points so that the distance...

by swerve » Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:22 pm

A bug is traveling between 2 points so that the distance it travels every day is half of the distance it traveled the day before. If the distance between the 2 points is 14 units, how much should it travel on the first day in order to reach its destination in 3 days?

A. 4
B. 14/3
C. 6
D. 7
E. 8

The OA is E.

Please, can any expert explain this PS question for me? I can't get the correct answer. I need your help. Thanks.

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Problem Solving | Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:22 pm

GMAT/MBA Expert

[email protected]: Elite Legendary Member; Posts: 10392; Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 6:38 pm; Location: Palo Alto, CA; Thanked: 2867 times; Followed by:511 members; GMAT Score:800

by [email protected] » Thu Mar 01, 2018 7:36 pm

Hi swerve,

We're told that a bug is traveling between 2 points so that the distance it travels every day is HALF of the distance it traveled the day before and that the distance between the 2 points is 14 units. We're asked how far the bug should travel on the first day in order to reach its destination in 3 days. This question can be solved by TESTing THE ANSWERS.

Let's TEST Answer D: 7 units
IF... the bug travels 7 units on the 1st day, then...
the bug travels 3.5 units on the 2nd day and...
the bug travels 1.75 units on the 3rd day.

7+3.5 + 1.75 = 12.25 units. This distance is TOO SMALL - meaning that bug has to travel FARTHER on the first day to hit 14 total units in three days. There's only one answer that fits....

Final Answer: E

GMAT assassins aren't born, they're made,
Rich

Contact Rich at [email protected]

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GMAT/MBA Expert

Scott@TargetTestPrep: GMAT Instructor; Posts: 8086; Joined: Sat Apr 25, 2015 10:56 am; Location: Los Angeles, CA; Thanked: 43 times; Followed by:29 members

by Scott@TargetTestPrep » Tue Mar 06, 2018 9:16 am

swerve wrote:A bug is traveling between 2 points so that the distance it travels every day is half of the distance it traveled the day before. If the distance between the 2 points is 14 units, how much should it travel on the first day in order to reach its destination in 3 days?

A. 4
B. 14/3
C. 6
D. 7
E. 8

We can let x = the distance the bug travels on the first day.

Day 1 = x

Day 2 = (1/2)x

Day 3 = (1/2)(1/2)x = (1/4)x

We can create the following equation:

x + (1/2)x + (1/4)x = 14

Multiplying the entire equation by 4, we have:

4x + 2x + x = 56

7x = 56

x = 8

Answer: E

Scott Woodbury-Stewart
Founder and CEO
[email protected]