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| Question 354501:  There are more than 1/4 million species of beetle. Assume the average length of a beetle is 1cm and the average walking speed is 10 cm per second. These beetles walk up a gang-plank that is 5 meters long onto an ark. They do this in pairs, side by side, one male and one female from each species. The pairs of beetles are spaced 7 cm apart. How many hours will it take for 1/4 million species of beetles to embark onto the ark once the first pair starts up the gangplank?
 Answer by mananth(16946)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! there are 1/4 million beetles ...
 250,000 beetles
 they move side by side in pairs
 250,000 /2 = 125,000 pairs form a line.
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 length of each beetle 1 cm
 distance = 7cms between them.
 total distance = 8cm.
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 125,000 form a line
 so total length = 125,000 * 8 = 1000,000 cms is the length of the line.
 the length of the plank = 500 cm
 so the distance covered = 1000,000+500 = 1000,500 meters
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 distance = 1000,500 cm
 speed = 10 cm/s
 Time = distance / speed
 Time = 1000,500/10
 Time = 100050 seconds
 27.8 hours
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 m.ananth@hotmail.ca
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