"Published in Newark, California, USA"
In a 100-meter race, Pepito gives Willie a 30-meter start and losses by 2 ½ seconds. In the second trial, he gives Willie a 10-meter start and beats him by 2 ½ seconds. Find the rate of each runner.
Solution:
The given word problem above is about a marathon or race problem. Let's analyze the word problem as follows:
Let x = be the rate of Willie
y = be the rate of Pepito
t = total time of Pepito to finish the 100-meter race
If the first statement says "In a 100-meter race, Pepito gives Willie a 30-meter start and losses by 2 ½ seconds.", then the working equation will be
Note:
Equate the first equation with the second equation because the two cases or trials are both in a 100-meter race
Substitute the value of x to either of the two equations above, we have
Hence, the value of y will be equal to
Therefore, the final answers are
Rate of Pepito = y = 5 meters per seconds
Rate of Willie = x = 4 meters per seconds