Don't want the answer just the formula on how to figure this out. two trains are traveling on parallel tracks. Train A is going 40mph and crosses the station at 4:10, Train B is going 60mph and crosses the station at 4:25 when will train B catch up to train A? Could someone just get me started?
You will find almost the identical question here, only the numbers are different.
http://www.jiskha.com/display.cgi?id=1258865597
To determine when Train B will catch up to Train A, we can use the concept of relative motion.
First, let's calculate the head start that Train A has obtained by the time Train B starts. The head start is given by the product of Train A's speed and the time difference between their crossings at the station.
Head start = Train A's speed * (Time when Train B crosses the station - Time when Train A crosses the station)
In this case, Train A is going at 40 mph, and the time difference between Train B crossing the station (4:25) and Train A crossing the station (4:10) is 15 minutes or 0.25 hours.
Head start = 40 mph * 0.25 hours
Now, we need to determine the relative speed between the two trains. To do this, we subtract the speed of Train A from the speed of Train B.
Relative speed = Train B's speed - Train A's speed
In this case, Train A is going at 40 mph, and Train B is going at 60 mph.
Relative speed = 60 mph - 40 mph
Next, we can calculate the time it will take for Train B to catch up to Train A by dividing the head start by the relative speed.
Time = Head start / Relative speed
Substituting the values we calculated earlier:
Time = (40 mph * 0.25 hours) / (60 mph - 40 mph)
By simplifying this equation, we get the time it will take for Train B to catch up to Train A.