A tortoise and hare decide to race 40 feet! The hare, being so generous and kind, gives the tortoise a head start of 28 feet. The tortoise "runs" at a speed of 0.5 feet/sec, and the hare runs at 4.5 feet/sec. How long will it be until the hare catches the tortoise?
head start = 28 feet
overall speed of the two = 4.5 ft/sec - 0.5 ft/sec = 4 ft/sec
It takes 28/4 = 7 seconds for the hare to catch up.