Two cars are driving from Abilene to DFW. The first car travels at 60 miles per hour it leaves Abilene 20 minutes before the second car. The second car travels 70 miles per hour how long will it take the second car to catch and pass the first car
20 min head start at 60 mph means 20 mi
the 2nd car catches up at 10 mph (70 - 60)
catch up time is ... 20 mi / 10 mph
To determine how long it will take the second car to catch and pass the first car, we need to find the time it takes for the two cars to cover the same distance.
Let's first convert the 20-minute head start of the first car into hours. There are 60 minutes in an hour, so 20 minutes is equal to 20/60 = 1/3 hour.
Since the first car has a head start, let's find the distance it covers during this time.
Distance = Speed * Time
Distance = 60 mph * (1/3) hour
Distance = 20 miles
Now that we know the first car traveled 20 miles before the second car starts, we can consider the relative speed between the two cars. The second car travels at 70 mph relative to the first car, as it needs to catch up.
To find the time it takes for the second car to catch and pass the first car, we need to divide the distance between them by their relative speed.
Time = Distance / Relative speed
Time = 20 miles / (70 mph - 60 mph)
Time = 20 miles / 10 mph
Time = 2 hours
Therefore, it will take the second car 2 hours to catch and pass the first car.