Turbo Tortoise
Harriet Hare and Turbo Tortoise want to cross the finish line together on their 12 mile race.... What time should Harriet set off?
Age
11 to 14
Challenge level
Harriet Hare and Turbo Tortoise want to cross the finish line together on their 12 mile woodland race. Turbo sets off at 8:15am and trots at a constant speed of 4mph. Given that Harriet runs at a constant speed of 8mph, at what time should she set off?
If you liked this problem, here is an NRICH task which challenges you to use similar mathematical ideas.
Answer: 9:45 am
12 miles at 4 mph takes 3 hours.
12 miles at 8 mph takes 1.5 hours.
Harriet should set off 1 hour 30 minutes after Turbo, that is at 9:45am.