This Week's Problem: "Clement Walks"
Q: Clement walks around an oval-shaped track at a constant rate of 50 seconds per lap. If 18 laps equal a mile, how many miles does Clement walk in 54 minutes?
A:
(A) 2
(B) 2.5
(C) 3
(D) 3.6
This took me about a minute to figure out. It's just quick algebra. The more gifted among you can doubtless do this in your heads. (The answer will be posted later in the comments.)
_
I think 18 laps is 15 minutes, so one mile takes 15 minutes. In 54 minutes, one would walk more than three miles, so I think "D" is the answer.
ReplyDeleteAnd it took me too long to do that in my head . . . a couple of laps worth, I guess.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
Bingo. There are several different approaches one can use, but it sounds as if you used this approach:
ReplyDelete1 lap is done in 5/6 minutes.
Therefore:
18 laps are done in 15 minutes. (This can be seen by setting up a proportion.)
1 mile in 15 minutes = 4mph.
4 mph for .9 hours (54 minutes) = 3.6 miles.
QED. (Quirky, erotic, delicious.)
Actually, I just thought, "Hmmm . . . at fifty seconds per lap, six laps takes five minutes, so eighteen laps is fifteen minutes."
ReplyDeleteAnd I took it from there.
Jeffery Hodges
* * *
That's probably an easier way to do it.
ReplyDeleteSince I only had to be close enough to exclude the other answers, I simply looked at 54/18. If it took a minute to do a lap, '3 miles' would be the answer. As the laps were slightly faster, it must be '3.6 miles' or D. I didn't see the need to fine-tune my calculation. Lazy, I guess.
ReplyDeleteEven faster!
ReplyDeleteThis problem is so much easier than that damn "spinach rows" problem.