Multiple choice

Two cars start moving towards each other at the same time from towns A and B, which are 480 km apart. It takes the first car travelling from A to B 8 hours to cover the distance and the second car travelling from B to A 12 hours. Determine how long after starting do the cars meet, assuming that both the cars travel at constant speed.

  1. 3.2 hours

  2. 4.8 hours

  3. 4.0 hours

  4. 5.2 hours
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B Correct answer
Explanation

Speed of car 1 = 480/8 = 60 km/h. Speed of car 2 = 480/12 = 40 km/h. Relative speed = 60 + 40 = 100 km/h. Time to meet = Distance / Relative speed = 480 / 100 = 4.8 hours.

AI explanation

The speed of the first car is 480 km divided by 8 hours, which equals 60 km/hr, and the speed of the second car is 480 km divided by 12 hours, which equals 40 km/hr. Because they are moving towards each other, their relative speed is 60 km/hr plus 40 km/hr, totaling 100 km/hr. The time it takes for them to meet is the total distance of 480 km divided by their relative speed of 100 km/hr, resulting in 4.8 hours.

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