Jim paddles from one shore of a lake three miles wide at 4 mph, and John paddles from the opposite shore at 5 mph. How long will they travel before they meet?

Let us assume that the distance travelled by Jim to meet John = X miles Then the distance travelled by John to meet Jim = (3 - X) miles We already know the equation Time = Distance travelled/ Speed Then for Jim, Time = X/4 For John Time = (3 - X)/5 As they meet, so they must have travelled the same amount of time. Then X/4 = (3 -X)/5 X = (12-4X)/5 5X = 12 - 4X 9X = 12 X = 12/9 = 4/3 = 1.33 miles Now our target is to find the amount of time after which Jim and John meet. Then Time = X/4 = 1.33/4 = 0.33325 hours = (0.33325 * 60) minutes = 19.995 minutes. So it can be safely assumed that Jim and John will meet after a period of 20 minutes.

Answered by taskmasters | 2024-06-10

Jim and John will meet after 20 minutes of paddling towards each other. Jim travels 1.33 miles, while John travels 1.67 miles before meeting. This can be calculated using their respective speeds and the distance of the lake.
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Answered by taskmasters | 2024-10-15