question help: Is there an easy way to solve this math question? - Help.com

Is there an easy way to solve this math question?

Okay I won’t write the actual problem since I wanna solve it myself but can someone tell me an easy function or method to solve problems like these?

The question I’m stumped on goes something like this (this isn’t the exact problem).

If train A leaves town A at 8AM towards town B at 55 MPH and train B leaves town B at the same time towards town A at 35 MPH, at what time will the two trains meet?

I used to know a easy formula for questions like these but I don’t remember it clearly

This open post was written 1 year ago | V/U/S: 718, 10, 4 | Edit Post | Leave a reply | Report Post


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Feelin'Good offline Verified User (1 year) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (30 minutes after post)

It’s a system with to variables and two equations. I’ll try and write down for you.

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lucif offline Verified User (1 year, 4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 7 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (36 minutes after post)

:) I like to hear these king of questions :)

I’ll take you own, first we will categorize things:

TrainA has speed 55 mph at town A at 8AM.
TrainB has speed 35 mph at town B at 8AM.

now for our assumptions: They go over the same path, for without they will never meet. Yet they shall not collide for it is a two way track.

We will call the distance between towns A & B : |AB|, this is the length of the path the trains follow.

The distance between A and C will be called |AC| And of course between B and C |BC|

The trains will meet at point_C where C lies in between point AB, we need now to calculate point C.

With C corrosponds a time_C, which is the time of meeting;
now for the meet the following relations are valid:

|BC| = time_C * 35mph
|AC| = time_C * 55mph
|AC| + |BC| = |AB|

from that we derive:

time_C * (35mph + 55mph) = |AB|
Or;
time_C = |AB| / (35mph + 55mph)

which is what you wanted. Naturally it isn’t solvable if |AB| Isn’t known.

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Pongo offline Verified User (1 year, 4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (43 minutes after post)

Then assuming the distance between the two towns is 335.5, continue the equation please.

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lucif offline Verified User (1 year, 4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 7 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (47 minutes after post)

if the distance is 335.5 miles
then the time of encounter will be

8 Am + (335.5/(35+55))
which is; 8 Am + 3.72777778 hours
which is 11 Am and 44 minutes.

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lucif offline Verified User (1 year, 4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 7 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (47 minutes after post)

(Time C is the time after arrival until they meet.)

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Pongo offline Verified User (1 year, 4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 1 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (53 minutes after post)

So then the basic equation is this?

Starting time + (Distance/(Speed A + Speed B))

Then would the same equation work for a question like this? And this goes for both directions.

If both Car A and B leaves town at 8AM towards the opposite direction, with Car A traveling at 55 MPH westwards and Car B at 35MPH eastwards, at what time will the cars be 335.5 miles apart?

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lucif offline Verified User (1 year, 4 months) Long Term User Shouts: 7 #
An Unknown Location | 1 year ago (1 hour, 8 minutes after post)

yes as long as you assume they use the same path.

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fara_impresi offline Verified User (7 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 7 months, 2 weeks ago (4 months, 2 weeks after post)

Shouldn’t we have the distance in order to solve this problem first ? If you were to have the distance then you could chase it step by step but what if A=B then nobody is in fact moving :D
a href=”http://www.gorentacar.com.ro/”>inchirieri auto bucuresti /a>

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joshgammon offline Verified User (6 months) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 6 months ago (6 months after post)

how do you solve the same question if the two cars/planes whatever leave at different times?

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joecanada offline Verified User (5 months, 2 weeks) Long Term User Shouts: 0 #
An Unknown Location | 5 months, 2 weeks ago (6 months, 2 weeks after post)

how do you solve the same question if the two cars/planes whatever leave at different times?

let one car travel for”x” hours and the other for “x + difference) which ever means of transport goes first will have more time and be the x+ vehicle.,

basic formula. d= rate times time

swubstitute and solve for x

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