jim paddle 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.