A thief steals a bike at 12.40 p.m. and drives it at 45 km/h. The theft is discovered at 1 p.m. and the owner sets off in a car at 65 km/h in the direction the thief was heading. The time at which the owner can catch the thief is:
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
The correct answer is option 3 i.e 1:45 p.m.
Speed of thief = 45 km/h
Speed of owner = 65 km/h
Time gap = from 12:40 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. = 20 minutes = 1/3 hour
In this 1/3 hour, the thief covers = 45 × 1/3 = 15 km head start.
Relative speed = 65 – 45 = 20 km/h.
Time taken by owner to catch thief = Distance ÷ Relative speed = 15 ÷ 20 = 0.75 hours = 45 minutes.
So, the owner starts at 1:00 p.m. and catches the thief after 45 minutes → 1:45 p.m.