Question

* A turtle and a snail start moving towards each other when they are 200 feet apart. The turtle is running at a speed of T feet per minute, and the snail is moving at a speed of S feet per minute. How soon will they meet?

Answer 1

Answer:

        200 ft               200

t = -------------------- = ---------- min

      (S + T) ft/min      S + T

Step-by-step explanation:

Recall that distance = (rate)(time).

The distance traveled by the turtle in t minutes is dt = (T ft/min)(t), and

the distance traveled by the snail in t minutes is ds = (S ft/min)(t).  We know that ds + dt must be 200 ft.

Thus,

(S ft/min)(t) + (T ft/min)(t) = 200 ft.

The variable t, representing elapsed time, is common to both terms on the left.  Thus,

        200 ft               200

t = -------------------- = ---------- min

      (S + T) ft/min      S + T