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abhudayaharp

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13 Jul 2025, 22:01

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This is a great question that’s helpful for learning and I like the solution - it’s helpful.

xyz12345678

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28 Jul 2025, 11:27

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I like the solution - it’s helpful.

adarsh2209

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18 Aug 2025, 08:40

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I like the solution - it’s helpful.

kiranreddyp

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24 Aug 2025, 06:49

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I like the solution - it’s helpful.

BinodBhai

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03 Sep 2025, 11:13

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The question is so simple.. the language is bit convoluted to be honest and I feel the question isn't great! I spent so much time solving this only to see how simple of a solution this is!

Bunuel

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03 Sep 2025, 11:17

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BinodBhai

The question is so simple.. the language is bit convoluted to be honest and I feel the question isn't great! I spent so much time solving this only to see how simple of a solution this is!

Uh, the wording in the question is actually very precise and 100% in line with GMAT style, it’s exactly the kind of phrasing you’d see on the exam.

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07 Sep 2025, 01:42

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I like the solution - it’s helpful.

MegB07

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Hi Bunuel,

I was taking the distance flown by the fly one way as 30 km. and adding to that the tmeet of both the hikers as 15. Making it as 30+15 = 45.

I understood the solution, but just want to understand what went wrong with my approach?

Bunuel

Official Solution:

Two hikers simultaneously start walking towards each other from Kensington, MD and Reston, VA, which are 30 km apart. Both hikers walk at a constant speed of 5 km/hour each. At the same time, a fly takes off from Kensington and flies towards the Reston hiker at a speed of 10 km/hour. When the fly reaches the Reston hiker, it immediately turns around and flies back to the Kensington hiker, and it continues to do so until the hikers meet. At the moment when the hikers meet, the fly lands on the shoulder of the Kensington hiker. How many kilometers has the fly flown in total?

A. 25
B. 30
C. 37.5
D. 45
E. 60

To calculate how long the fly was flying, we first determine the time it takes for the hikers to meet. Since the hikers are walking towards each other at a speed of 5 km/hour each, their combined speed is 10 km/hour. Therefore, they will meet after $\frac{30}{10}=3$ hours.

This means that the fly was flying for 3 hours at a speed of 10 km/hour, covering a distance of 30 km.

Answer: B

Bunuel

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13 Sep 2025, 00:23

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MegB07

One way is not 30 km, because as soon as the fly starts flying, the hikers also start walking and the distance between them begins shrinking. So the first leg is already less than 30 km, and that’s where your approach goes off track.

nestle

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01 Oct 2025, 22:22

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I like the solution - it’s helpful.

Kgmishra

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25 Oct 2025, 03:52

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I like the solution - it’s helpful. This question just pushed my reasoning skills notches above - Common sense.

anushree01

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15 Jan 2026, 08:02

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same meee too, indeed a very good question

Raunak_Bhatia

Damn!!! I feel so stupid seeing this solution, (I literally was calculating to and fro distance covered by the fly) Sometimes it just doesn't strike you in the test environment.

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20 Jan 2026, 08:52

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Deconstructing the Question
Initial Distance between hikers: 30 km.
Hiker 1 Speed: 5 km/h.
Hiker 2 Speed: 5 km/h.
Fly Speed: 10 km/h.
Scenario: The fly moves back and forth continuously until the hikers meet.

Target: Total distance flown by the fly.

Step 1: Calculate the Time until Hikers Meet
Instead of summing the infinite segments of the fly's path, we look at the time. The fly flies as long as the hikers are walking.
Since the hikers are moving towards each other, we add their speeds to find the relative speed.
$V_{relative} = V_1 + V_2 = 5 + 5 = 10 \text{ km/h}$.

Time to meet ($t$):
$t = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Relative Speed}}$
$t = \frac{30}{10} = 3 \text{ hours}$.

Step 2: Calculate the Fly's Distance
The fly flies constantly at 10 km/h for exactly 3 hours.
$D_{fly} = V_{fly} \times t$
$D_{fly} = 10 \times 3 = 30 \text{ km}$.

Answer: B

Advait01

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16 Feb 2026, 03:37

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I like the solution - it’s helpful.

HeytorBB

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16 Mar 2026, 10:27

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This question is poorly worded because it says, "At the moment of the encounter, the fly lands on the shoulder of the Kensington walker." For it to land on walker 1's shoulder, it has to return. I can't simply ignore this argument; either it returns, or I must assume it keeps returning in other directions. But if it can fly in different directions, I can also assume the walker can do that. This part about landing on the shoulder breaks the logical line of the question because I have to take into account that the fly can keep flying aimlessly until they meet. The point is, should I calculate as if it were a straight line? If so, I must take into account all the members of the question; if not, I can assume that the walkers don't walk in a straight line either

Bunuel

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16 Mar 2026, 10:35

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HeytorBB

The question is fine. “Continues to do so until the hikers meet” already fixes the fly’s path: it keeps going back and forth between them. The shoulder part only tells you where its final trip ends. No extra flying is implied.