Multiple choice

The ratio of speed of two railway locomotives is 5: 4. If they run on parallel tracks in one direction and initially the low speed engine was 8 km ahead of the high speed engine, how much distance will the fast moving engine have to travel to overtake the low speed engine?

  1. 48

  2. 36

  3. 40

  4. 32

  5. None of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Speed ratio 5:4 means relative speed = 1 unit. Gap = 8 km. Time to catch up = 8 / (5x - 4x) = 8/x hours. Fast train distance = 5x × (8/x) = 40 km. In ratio problems: distance = gap × (fast speed / relative speed).

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