Question: Tom and Jerry are running on the same road towards each other. If Tom is running at a speed of 2.5 meters per second and Jerry is running 36% slower, how much time will it take them to meet if the initial distance between the teo is 50 meters and Tom started running 20 seconds before Jerry did?

1. 2 minutes and 12 seconds
2. 2 minutes
3. 44 seconds
4. 20 seconds
5. 12 seconds

“Tom and Jerry are running on the same road towards each other. If Tom is running at a speed of 2.5 meters per second and Jerry is running 36% slower?”- is a topic of the GMAT Quantitative reasoning section of GMAT. This question has been taken from the book “GMAT Official Guide Quantitative Review”. To solve GMAT Problem Solving questions a student must have knowledge about a good amount of qualitative skills. The GMAT Quant topic in the problem-solving part requires calculative mathematical problems that should be solved with proper mathematical knowledge.

Answer:

Approach Solution (1):

Speed adds when two objects come towards each other. There is a time difference of 20 seconds in tom’s favor. --- meaning Tom will start running 20 seconds earlier than jerry. Tom’s speed is 2.5 m/s. tom has started running 20 seconds earlier, so Tom will cover 2.5 * 20 = 50 meters, even before jerry started to run. But the total distance between them is only 50 meter.

So Tom will end up running all the way to jerry and they will meet in 20 seconds. Poor Tom covering all the distance and jerry just sitting and enjoying his cheese at his location, not moving a centimeter. Jerry would probably hit Tom with a frying pan as soon as Tom reached.

Correct option: D

Approach Solution (2):

Tom is running alone for 20 seconds

So he will cover a distance of 20 * 2.5 = 50 m in 20 seconds

Basically, Jerry has not started yet, and Tom has covered the distance alone and Jerry on the other side.

Correct option: D

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