Question 61326
In a two boat sailing race, one boat Windsprite rounds the final buoy and sails straight for the finish line at 12 knots. Exactly 4 minutes after Windsprite rounds the final buoy the other boat Porpoise reaches that point and heads for the finish line at 12.7 knots. Windsprite reaches the finish line 49 minutes after rounding the last buoy. Who wins the race?
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We can assume both boats travel the same distance which is from the buoy to the finish line, however, P departs the buoy 4 min after W.
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W's time determines the distance to buoy = 49/60 * 12 = 9.8 naut miles
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The question is how long will it take P to travel 9.8 naut miles at a speed of 12.7 knots, we have to add 4 min to that.
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Time = 9.8/12.7 = .77 hrs which is .77*60 = 46.3 min + 4 min = 50.3 so W does win the race by a little over a minute.
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Did this make sense?