In a race. A, B, and C , each running at uniform speed, get the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. If A beats B by and B beats C by , then by how many metres does A beat C?
In a race. A, B, and C , each running at uniform speed, get the gold, silver, and bronze medals, respectively. If A beats B by and B beats C by , then by how many metres does A beat C?
Entered answer:
Solution
When we say "A beats B by 1 km," this means that when A finishes the 10 km race, B has only covered 9 km. They both run for the same amount of time, but A covers more distance.
Since both runners run for the same time, the ratio of distances covered equals the ratio of their speeds.
When A completes 10 km, B completes 9 km (in the same time)
Speed ratio A : B = 10 : 9
When B completes 10 km, C completes 9 km (in the same time)
Speed ratio B : C = 10 : 9
We have:
A : B = 10 : 9
B : C = 10 : 9
To find A : B : C, we need to make B's value the same in both ratios.
We multiply the first ratio by 10 and the second ratio by 9:
A : B = 10 × 10 : 9 × 10 = 100 : 90
B : C = 10 × 9 : 9 × 9 = 90 : 81
Therefore: A : B : C = 100 : 90 : 81
Since A : C = 100 : 81, this means:
When A travels 100 meters, C travels 81 meters (in the same time)
When A travels 10000 meters (10 km), C travels: meters
Distance by which A beats C:
meters
The beauty of this approach is that speed ratios remain constant throughout the race. If A is 100/81 times faster than C, this relationship holds whether they've run 1 km or 10 km.
Answer: A beats C by 1900 meters