A policeman spotted a thief at a distance of 1,500 metres and he immediately started chasing him at 20 km/h. The thief spotted the policeman at the same time and immediately started running away from him at 15 km/h. How far will the thief run before he gets caught?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: D
Explanation
Given:
Initial distance = 1500 m = 1.5 km
Speed of the police = 20 km/h
Speed of the thief = 15 km/h
According to the formula:
Relative speed = Faster speed − Slower speed
Time = Distance / Relative speed
Relative speed = 20 − 15 = 5 km/h
Time = 1.5 / 5 = 0.3 hours
Distance covered by the thief = 15 × 0.3 = 4.5 km