Jane left the coffee shop traveling 24 mph. Then, 3 hours later, Mikayla left traveling the same direction at 36 mph. How long until Mikayla catches up with Jane?

Answer 1

Recall distance equals speed x time. At the time t when they meet, they are the same distance from the starting point, with Jane having traveled t hours and Mikayla having traveled t-3 hours, so

24t = 36(t - 3)

24t = 36t - 108

12t = 108

t = 9 hours

Test the answer.