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.
A bug is traveling between 2 points so that the distance...
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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
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
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We can let x = the distance the bug travels on the first day.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
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
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