Quantitative Aptitude

Time, Speed and Distance

2,165 Questions
All Core formulas and unit conversion 441 Boats and streams effective speed 396 Relative speed, meetings, and overtaking 375 Average speed 362 Early and late arrival 321 Proportional relationships 202 Stoppage time per hour 35 Train and stationary or moving object crossing 17 Races and dead heats 16

Time, Speed and Distance Questions

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A car covers a certain distance at a speed of 90 km/hr while going and returns to the starting point at a speed of 60 km/hr. Find the average speed of the car for the whole journey?

  1. 70

  2. 68

  3. 72

  4. 74
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Average speed for round trip = 2xy/(x+y) where x=90 and y=60. Average = (2×90×60)/(90+60) = 10800/150 = 72 km/hr. The harmonic mean formula applies because distances are equal, not times.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

Two trains, 200 km apart, are moving toward each other at the speed of 50 km/hour each. A fly takes off from one train flying straight toward the other at the speed of 75 km/hour. Having reached the other train, the fly bounces off it and flies back to the first train. The fly repeats the trip until the trains collide and the bug is squashed. What distance has the fly traveled until its death?

  1. 150 KM

  2. 175 KM

  3. 125 KM

  4. 137 KM
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

The trains approach each other at 100 km/h (50 + 50), so they collide in exactly 2 hours (200 km ÷ 100 km/h). The fly continuously travels at 75 km/h during these 2 hours, covering 150 km total. This classic puzzle has an elegant solution - instead of calculating each leg of the fly's journey, simply multiply the fly's speed by the time until collision. This avoids summing an infinite geometric series.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

B is 50% faster than A. If A starts at 9 A.M. and B starts at 10 A.M. A travels at a speed of 50 km/hr. If A and B are 300 kms apart, The time when they meet when they travel in opposite direction is

  1. 10 am

  2. 01:00pm

  3. 12:00pm

  4. 12:30pm
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

A's speed is 50 km/hr. B is 50% faster, so B's speed is 75 km/hr. By 10 A.M., A has traveled 50 km, leaving 250 km between them. Traveling in opposite directions (towards each other), their relative speed is 125 km/hr. They meet in $250 / 125 = 2$ hours, which is 12:00 P.M.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A salesman drives from Amsterdam to The Hague. The first half of the distance of his journey, he drives at a constant speed of 80 km/h. The second half of the distance of his journey, he drives at a constant speed of 120 km/h. What is the salesman's average speed for the complete journey?

  1. 91

  2. 98

  3. 128

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Average speed for equal distances is the harmonic mean: 2v1v2 / (v1 + v2). Here, (2 * 80 * 120) / (80 + 120) = 19200 / 200 = 96 km/h. Since 96 is not among the numeric options, 'none of these' is correct.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

In a circular track of 100km A runs at 25 km/hr and B runs at 10 km/hr. In hw much time does a overtake b for the 3rd time.

  1. 20h

  2. 40h

  3. 8.57h(approx)

  4. none of these
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

A and B run in the same direction. Their relative speed is $25 - 10 = 15$ km/hr. To overtake B for the third time, A must cover a relative distance of 3 laps, which is $3 \times 100 = 300$ km. The time taken is $300 / 15 = 20$ hours. Distractors represent incorrect relative speeds or lap counts.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A train which travels at a uniform speed due to some mechanical fault after traveling for an hour goes at 3/5th of the original speed and reaches the destination 2 hrs late.If the fault had occurred after traveling another 50 miles the train would have reached 40 min earlier. What is distance between the two stations.

  1. 300

  2. 310

  3. 320

  4. 305
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let original speed be $v$ and distance be $D$. The delay of 2 hours is caused by traveling the remaining distance at $3/5v$. If the fault occurs 50 miles later, the delay is reduced by 40 minutes (2/3 hours). This means traveling 50 miles at $3/5v$ instead of $v$ takes 2/3 hours longer. Thus, $50/(3v/5) - 50/v = 2/3$, which gives $v = 50$ mph. Substituting $v$ back into the first scenario yields a total distance of 300 miles.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

Two people on cycle are traveling at 10 miles/hour in opposite direction. When they are at a distance of 50 miles, a housefly lands on the first cyclist and then flies to the other at a speed of 16 miles/hour. What is the distance covered by fly?

  1. 123.33

  2. 133.33

  3. 82.33

  4. 92.33
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Cyclists approach each other at 20 miles/hour combined (10+10). Time to meet = 50/20 = 2.5 hours. In that time, the fly travels 16 * 2.5 = 40 miles, shuttling back and forth continuously.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A motorcycle stunts man belonging to a fair, rides over the vertical walls of a circular well at an average speed of 54 kph for 5 minutes. If the radius of the well is 5 meters then the distance traveled(in kilometers) is:

  1. 2.5

  2. 3.5

  3. 4.5

  4. 5.5
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Distance = Speed × Time. 54 kph for 5 minutes is 54 × (5/60) = 54 × (1/12) = 4.5 km. The radius of the well is irrelevant to the total distance traveled along the path. 2.5 and 3.5 are incorrect calculations.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

Two trains, 500 km apart, are travelling towardseach other, one at the speed of 40 kmph and the other at the speed of 60 kmph. A bird starts flying to and fro from one train to the other at a speed of 10kmph. Find the distance covered by the bird from the beginning till one hour before the two trains meet each other.

  1. 50

  2. 40

  3. Can't Calculate as the series goes into an infinite Geometric Progression

  4. The bird gets too tired to fly after one hour.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

The trains approach each other at 40+60=100 kmph, so they meet in 5 hours (500/100). The bird flies for 4 hours (one hour before meeting), covering 10×4=40 km. Option C is a distractor invoking infinite series unnecessarily - this is a simple time×speed problem. Option D is a joke option.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A train travels a certain distance taking 7 hours for the journey. During the return journey speed is increased by 12km/hr and the journey time becomes 5 hours.What is the distance of one side of the journey?

  1. 210 kms

  2. 30 kms

  3. 60 kms

  4. 240 kms
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let distance = d. Original speed = d/7 kmph. Return speed = (d/7)+12 = d/5. Solving: d/5 - d/7 = 12, so (7d-5d)/35 = 12, giving 2d = 420, so d = 210 km. The claimed answer A is correct.

Multiple choice general knowledge math & puzzles

A train travels a certain distance taking 7 hrs in forward journey, during the return journey increased speed 12km/hr and the time taken is 5 hrs.What is the distance traveled on one side?

  1. 210

  2. 30

  3. 60

  4. 90
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

Let distance = d km. Forward speed = d/7 km/hr. Return speed = d/5 km/hr (12 km/hr faster). So: d/5 - d/7 = 12. Multiply by 35: 7d - 5d = 420. 2d = 420. d = 210 km. This checks out: forward speed = 210/7 = 30 km/hr, return speed = 210/5 = 42 km/hr (exactly 12 km/hr faster).

Multiple choice general knowledge

Two trains, 500 km apart, are travelling towardseach other, one at the speed of 40 kmph and the other at the speed of 60 kmph. A bird starts flying to and fro from one train to the other at a speed of 10kmph. Find the distance covered by the bird from the beginning till one hour before the two trains meet each other.

  1. 20 km

  2. 60 km

  3. 30 km

  4. 40 km
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

Trains approach at combined speed 40 + 60 = 100 km/h. Distance 500 km takes 5 hours to meet. Bird flies for 4 hours (one hour before meeting). Distance = 10 × 4 = 40 km.

Multiple choice general knowledge

If a man walks at the rate of 5km/hr, he misses a train by only 7min. However if he walks at the rate of 6 km/hr he reaches the station 5 minutes before the arrival of the train. Find the distance covered by him to reach the station?

  1. 5 km

  2. 6 km

  3. 7 km

  4. 8 km
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
B Correct answer
Explanation

Let distance be D. Time difference is 12 mins (7 late + 5 early) or 0.2 hours. Using the formula D/5 - D/6 = 0.2, we get D/30 = 0.2, so D = 6 km. The calculation confirms that 6 km is the correct distance.