SOLUTION: A bear sees a cougar from 2 miles away and begins running towards it. Simultaneously, the cougar sees the bear and begins to run away. If the bear runs 2 mph, and the cougar runs 1

Algebra ->  Customizable Word Problem Solvers  -> Travel -> SOLUTION: A bear sees a cougar from 2 miles away and begins running towards it. Simultaneously, the cougar sees the bear and begins to run away. If the bear runs 2 mph, and the cougar runs 1      Log On

Ad: Over 600 Algebra Word Problems at edhelper.com


   



Question 811463: A bear sees a cougar from 2 miles away and begins running towards it. Simultaneously, the cougar sees the bear and begins to run away. If the bear runs 2 mph, and the cougar runs 16 mph, how long does it take the bear to overtake the cougar?
Answer by josgarithmetic(39621) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The cougar would be out of reach and the chase would end when the bear can no longer see the cougar. The bear at 2 mph will be at an INCREASING distance from the cougar at 16 mph during the chase.

The bear runs 20 mph, not 2 mph:

The rate at which their distance closes is 20-16=4 mph. Using uniform rates equation we have 4%2Ax=2, where x is in hours.
x=2%2F4=highlight%281%2F2%29 hour. Two miles is a long way for that rate, even if both animals are running fast as 20 and 16 mph's.