Samantha begins biking at 12 mph from the center of town towards the ocean at 12:00 noon. Later that day, at 1:15 pm, Anthony begins biking along the same route as Samantha at 15 mph. How many miles will Samantha have covered when Anthony catches her?
Note that the distance that Samantha covers BEFORE Anthony starts =
Rate * Time =
12 * (1 + 1/4)hrs =
12 * (1.25) = 15 miles
And each hour....the distance that he closes on Samantha = 15 - 12 = 3 miles
So....the time it will take to catch her is
Distance Samantha is ahead 15
___________________________ = ______ = 5 hrs
Distance Anthony closes per hour 3