Two swimmers start from opposite ends of a 720 m long river pool and swim towards each other. Swimmer A swims at 48 m/min, while Swimmer B swims at 60 m/min. However, Swimmer A starts 5 minutes earlier. At what time after A's start will they meet? (Round to two decimal places if needed)
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Explanation
Given:
Distance = 720 m
Speed of A = 48 m/min, Speed of B = 60 m/min
A starts 5 minutes before B.
According to the formula:
Total distance = Distance covered by A + Distance covered by B
Let's assume they meet *t* minutes after A starts.
Distance covered by A = 48t
Time taken by B = (t − 5) ⇒ Distance covered by B = 60(t − 5)
48t + 60(t − 5) = 720
48t + 60t − 300 = 720
108t = 1020
t = 1020 / 108 = 9 min 26 s