Two cars are driving toward each other from opposite directions. If one is driving 55 mph, the other is driving 60 mph and the cars are 500 miles apart, how long will it be before they pass each other? Round to the nearest tenth of an hour.

Question

anonymous · Answer

The combined speed of the cars is 55 + 60 = 115 mph.  It is as if a single car is approaching a stationary car at 115mph.  To work out how long it will take for this car to travel 500 miles, just divide 500 by 115, which gives the answer in hours.