document.write( "Question 1163724: Howard and Bobby walk up on an escalator which is moving down from the 2nd
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document.write( "floor to the 1st floor. Howard walks 2 steps each second, and Bobby walks 3
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document.write( "steps each second. It takes Howard 60 seconds while it takes Bobby 30
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document.write( "seconds to get to the 2nd floor. How long does it take them to walk to the
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document.write( "2nd floor if the escalator is not moving?
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Algebra.Com's Answer #787908 by Edwin McCravy(20056)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! Howard walks 2 steps each second, and Bobby walks 3 \n" ); document.write( "steps each second. \n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( "They are going the wrong way, up the down escalator. Suppose the escalator\r\n" ); document.write( "moves x steps per second. Then the escalator slows them down by x steps per\r\n" ); document.write( "second.\r\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "Howard walks 2 steps each second, and Bobby walks 3 steps each second. \n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( "So Howard's actual rate on the moving escalator is 2 - x steps/second, \r\n" ); document.write( "And Bobby's actual rate on the moving escalator is 3 - x steps/second\r\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "It takes Howard 60 seconds while it takes Bobby 30 seconds to get to the 2nd \n" ); document.write( "floor. \n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( "distance = rate∙time, so\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "Howard's distance (in steps) = Bobby's distance (in steps), so\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "60(2 - x) = 30(3 - x)\r\n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( "Solve that, get x = 1 steps/second, the speed of the escalator.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "distance = rate∙time, so 60(2 - 1) = 60(1) = 60 steps = height of the\r\n" ); document.write( "escalator in steps = the distance between the two floors, in escalator\r\n" ); document.write( "steps.\r\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "How long does it take them to walk to the 2nd floor if the escalator is not moving? \n" ); document.write( " \r\n" ); document.write( "Howard's time to go 60 steps at the rate 2 steps/second on the stopped\r\n" ); document.write( "escalator = distance/rate = 60/2 = 30 seconds.\r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "And Bobby's time to go 60 steps at the rate 3 steps/second on the stopped\r\n" ); document.write( "escalator = distance/rate = 60/3 = 20 seconds. \r\n" ); document.write( "\r\n" ); document.write( "Edwin\n" ); document.write( " |