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A Mathematics problem


Ham
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Atlanta Georgia, and Cincinnati Ohio are 440 miles apart.

George leaves Cincinnati in his Ford Model T towards Atlanta at an average of 12.5 miles per hour.

Simon Leaves Atlanta in his Mazzaratti towards Cincinnati at an average of 159.5 miles per hour.

Question: how long does it take before the two meet?

Answer: About two years.

Edited by Ham
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Just because the two head for each other's town initially doesn't mean they continue on that path (or at that speed) until they reach the destinations.

Also, Simon was probably forced by Obama to trade in his gas-guzzling "clunker" for a peppy electric car that had to be re-charged every 40 miles. :rolleyes:

George

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Good guesses all.

five miles outside of Atlanta, Simon was clocked at 192 mph by the Georgia State Police. The Mazzaratti is impounded, and Simon goes to jail. Simon barely makes bail, and pays the $1500 fine. however with the impounded Mazzaratti and drivers license revoked for one year, at which time Simon may apply for a new one, subject to close supervision and safety classes, Simon cannot get out of town.

Simon sells the Mazzaratti after finally paying the towing and impound fees, and purchases a four cylinder import, and sets out once again to see his friend in Cincinatti.

Time expired? About two years..

:biglaugh:

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I havn't seen a police car that will go 192 mph. How did they catch him.

I don't know about Kentucky, but probably they will not let a dreiver drive down the highway at 12.5 mph. Even with a displayed SMV panel the laws will not allow that down a highway.

Personally I don't think they will ever meet. Two differant worlds.

Now I just bought a Karmann Ghia in Detroit(Ebay motors stike again) and it took three days to get back home to the boonies of Texas.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Its awful hard to produce a non offensive, politically correct math problem these days..

:biglaugh:

One of the newest.. no kidding.. I saw this one assigned to my students..

two planes 1200 miles apart (or something like that). One is travelling east at 492 mph.. the other, travelling west at 500 mph..

when do they meet each other? that was the question.

I was thinking.. asking the students.. "what do we know about this problem.. etc.."

nooooooo. Not me.. I would be among the first to say, "what do I KNOW? I wouldn't want to be a passenger on either of these planes.."

:biglaugh:

no kidding..

Edited by Ham
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Its awful hard to produce a non offensive, politically correct math problem these days..

:biglaugh:

One of the newest.. no kidding.. I saw this one assigned to my students..

two planes 1200 miles apart (or something like that). One is travelling east at 492 mph.. the other, travelling west at 500 mph..

when do they meet each other? that was the question.

I was thinking.. asking the students.. "what do we know about this problem.. etc.."

nooooooo. Not me.. I would be among the first to say, "what do I KNOW? I wouldn't want to be a passenger on either of these planes.."

:biglaugh:

no kidding..

That is an unconstrained problem with no solution. East vs west at 0 degrees latitude (equator) puts them about 12 hours apart (assuming departure from same airport - and without an origin this problem is meaningless - well it is meaningless anyway as described below) although the west bound plane has the ground miles advantage of flying against earth's rotation. However as we move progressively closer to the poles the time shrinks as a function of a linear slice of a sphere.

As written there is not enough information to solve it.

Who thinks of these kinds of foolish problems without constraining them.

Finally - planes fly (generally) great circle arcs not straight east/west.

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