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Today Puzzle #791

Puzzle No. 791– Monday 27 July

You travel to Jurassic park on holiday, taking your pet hamster with you. You let your hamster down and it immediately starts to run. One minute later a velociraptor appears from behind a bush and starts to chase after your hamster. Given the hamster can run at 2m/s and the velociraptor runs at 17m/s, how long will it take for the velociraptor to catch up with the hamster?

Today’s #PuzzleForToday has been set by Kitty and Siobhan, Year 12, Oxford High School GDST.

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During the first minute, the distance travelled by the hamster is 2x60=120m. Call the distance travelled by the hamster after the velociraptor appears x m, so the distance travelled by the velociraptor is (120 + x ) m. The time taken will be the same for both the velociraptor and the hamster, and time = distance/speed, so x/2 = (120 +x)/17 which gives x=16m, and so a time of 16/2=8 seconds.

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