Re: Lexy walks 5 miles from point A to point B in one hour, then
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09 Nov 2019, 15:29
OFFICIAL EXPLANATION:
We begin by figuring out Lexy’s average speed. On her way from A to B, she travels 5 miles in one hour, so her speed is 5 miles per hour. On her way back from B to A, she travels the same 5 miles at 15 miles per hour. Her average speed for the round trip is NOT simply the average of these two speeds. Rather, her average speed must be computed using the formula RT = D, where R is rate, T is time and D is distance. Her average speed for the whole trip is the total distance of her trip divided by the total time of her trip.
We already know that she spends 1 hour going from A to B. When she returns from B to A, Lexy travels 5 miles at a rate of 15 miles per hour, so our formula tells us that 15 T = 5, or T = 1/3. In other words, it only takes Lexy 1/3 of an hour, or 20 minutes, to return from B to A. Her total distance traveled for the round trip is 5+5=10 miles and her total time is 1+1/3=4/3 of an hour, or 80 minutes.
We have to give our final answer in minutes, so it makes sense to find Lexy's average rate in miles per minute, rather than miles per hour. 10 miles / 80 minutes = 1/8 miles per minute. This is Lexy's average rate.
We are told that Ben's rate is half of Lexy's, so he must be traveling at 1/16 miles per minute. He also travels a total of 10 miles, so (1/16) T = 10, or T = 160. Ben's round trip takes 160 minutes.
Alternatively, we could use a shortcut for the last part of this problem. We know that Ben's rate is half of Lexy's average rate. This means that, for the entire trip, Ben will take twice as long as Lexy to travel the same distance. Once we determine that Lexy will take 80 minutes to complete the round trip, we can double the figure to get Ben's time. 80 × 2 = 160.
The correct answer is D.
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