Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

Two friends decide to get together; so they start riding bikes towards each other. They plan to meet halfway. Each is riding at 6 MPH. They live 36 miles apart. One of them has a pet carrier pigeon and it starts flying the instant the friends start traveling. The pigeon flies back and forth at 18 MPH between the 2 friends until the friends meet. How many miles does the pigeon travel?

  1. 54

  2. 55

  3. 56

  4. 53
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The friends meet in 3 hours since they close the 36-mile gap at 12 MPH combined (6+6). The pigeon flies continuously at 18 MPH for the full 3 hours, traveling 54 miles. The back-and-forth motion is irrelevant - only total flight time and speed matter.

AI explanation

To solve this problem, we need to determine how long it takes for the two friends to meet and calculate the distance the pigeon travels during that time.

Let's analyze the situation:

The two friends are riding towards each other at a speed of 6 MPH each. Since they are traveling towards each other, their relative speed is the sum of their individual speeds, which is 6 + 6 = 12 MPH.

The distance between the two friends is 36 miles. To meet halfway, they need to cover half of the distance, which is 36/2 = 18 miles.

Using the formula distance = speed × time, we can calculate the time it takes for the friends to meet:

time = distance / speed = 18 miles / 12 mph = 1.5 hours

Now, let's determine the distance the pigeon travels during this time. The pigeon flies back and forth at a speed of 18 MPH. Since the friends meet after 1.5 hours, the pigeon also flies for 1.5 hours.

distance traveled by the pigeon = pigeon's speed × time = 18 mph × 1.5 hours = 27 miles

Therefore, the correct answer is A) 54 miles, as the pigeon travels a total of 27 miles.

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