A thief and a police officer are 500 meters apart. If they run in the same direction, the police officer catches the thief in 10 minutes. If they run towards each other, they meet in 2 minutes. What is the speed of the thief in meters per minute?
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: B
Explanation
The correct answer is option 2 i.e. 100 meters/minute.
Let police speed = p meter/minute, and thief speed = t meter/minute
Same direction: (p – t) × 10 = 500
⇒ p – t = 50 ...(1)
Opposite direction: (p + t) × 2 = 500
⇒ p + t = 250 ...(2)
Add (1) and (2): 2p = 300 ⇒ p = 150
Thief speed (t) = 250 - 150 = 100 meter/minute