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Friday Puzzler -- Trestle Crossing

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Friday Puzzler -- Trestle Crossing

#1

Friday Puzzler -- Trestle Crossing

Alex Y

You and a friend are walking across a 700-yard long train trestle, and after walking 400 yards, you hear the whistle of a train approaching. You make a snap decision and run toward the train and the closer end of the trestle, and clear the tracks just before the train would have hit you. Your friend makes the opposite decision and runs away from the train, toward the more distant end of the trestle, but also clears the tracks just before the train would have hit him.

Because of the treacherous footing on the trestle, the best speed you had your fiend could both make is 10 mph.

How fast was the train moving?

Re: Friday Puzzler -- Trestle Crossing

#2

Re: Friday Puzzler -- Trestle Crossing

Larry Barrett

A runs 300 yds to the near end of the trestle, just as the train arrives at the near end. B runs at the same rate (10 mph) toward the far end of the trestle so B also runs 300 yds and is 100 yds from the end. B and the train then continues across the trestle and both arrive at the far end at the same time. So B runs 100 yds at 10 mph, the train travels 7 times as far (700 yds) in the same time, therefore the train travels at .... mph.

Re: Friday Puzzler -- Trestle Crossing

#3

:-)

Alex Y

Very good. No [explicit] algebra even needed

👍 This page answered my questions

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