Question

Two ants race across a table 59 cm long.
One travels at 5.01 cm/s and the other at
3.99999 cm/s.
When the first one crosses the finish line,
how far behind is the second one?

Answer 1

Two ants race across a table 59 cm long.

One travels at 5.01 cm/s and the other at 3.99999 cm/s.

When the first one crosses the finish line, how far behind is the second one?

L=59 cm - the length of the table

v=5.01 cm/s - the speed of the first ant

u=3.99999 cm/s - the speed of the second ant

D - the distance between the ants, when the first one crosses the finish line.

The task: to find D.

Solution:

The time the first ant needs to race across the table is t=L/v. Then the distance, which the second ant passes for the same time is a=ut=u(L/v).

So, we can find the distance between the ants, when the first ant crosses the finish line D=L-a=L-u(L/v),

D=L(1-u/v)

ANSWER: D=11.89432934 cm.