Hi!iLdern wrote:Jane gave Karen a 5 m head start in a 100 race and Jane was beaten by 0.25m. In how many meters more would Jane have overtaken Karen?
Could someone please give a good explanation for this problem?
Thaaaanks
First, please include the source and choices in your future posts. The choices often give lots of great hints as to how to attack the question.
Let's start by jotting down the distance equation:
distance = rate * time
or
t = d/r
Here, Karen ran 95m (she had a 5m head start) and Jane ran 99.75m. Their times are equal.
Since their times are equal, we know that:
99.75/rateJ = 95/rateK
rateJ/rateK = 99.75/95 = 21/20
So, for every 20 metres that K runs, J runs 21.
Over 20 metres, J gained 1 full metre. We only need J to gain 1/4 of a meter, so it will take 1/4 of 20 = 5 metres.
Now, the question is ambiguous, since K will run 5 metres and J will run 5.25 in that time. Overall, the question isn't very well worded (which is why it's important to provide the source).
