A basketball is dropped from a height of 20 feet. If it bounces back up to a height that is exactly half of its previous

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A basketball is dropped from a height of 20 feet. If it bounces back up to a height that is exactly half of its previous height, and it stops bouncing after hitting the ground for the fourth time, then how many total feet will the ball have traveled after 3 full bounces.

(A) 50
(B) 55
(C) 60
(D) 75
(E) 80

Answer: B

Source: EMPOWERgmat

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VJesus12 wrote:
Sun Dec 06, 2020 8:10 am
A basketball is dropped from a height of 20 feet. If it bounces back up to a height that is exactly half of its previous height, and it stops bouncing after hitting the ground for the fourth time, then how many total feet will the ball have traveled after 3 full bounces.

(A) 50
(B) 55
(C) 60
(D) 75
(E) 80

Answer: B

Source: EMPOWERgmat
Since there are only 3 bounces involved, let's just list and add the distances.

Drop 20 feet
HITS GROUND 1ST TIME
Rise 10 feet
Drop 10 feet
HITS GROUND 2ND TIME
Rise 5 feet
Drop 5 feet
HITS GROUND 3RD TIME
Rise 2.5 feet
Drop 2.5 feet
HITS GROUND 4TH TIME

Total distance travelled = 20 + 10 + 10 + 5 + 5 + 2.5 + 2.5 = 55

Answer: B
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