[Guest]

Decided to post the newest puzzle from Mensa UK. This one should be easier:

A car and a coach set off from the same point, at the same time, to travel the same journey.

The car travels at 48 mph and the coach travels at 38 mph.

If the car stops after 190 miles, how long will it take the coach to catch up?

NB: By "How long will it take to catch up" I mean "How long after the car has STOPPED will the coach reach the destination?". I just wanted to keep the puzzle exactly the same as printed.

Edited April 16, 2008 by StAnArchic

[Nikyma]

Just over an hour

[Brandonb]

Decided to post the newest puzzle from Mensa UK. This one should be easier:

A car and a coach set off from the same point, at the same time, to travel the same journey.

The car travels at 48 mph and the coach travels at 38 mph.

If the car stops after 190 miles, how long will it take the coach to catch up?

NB: By "How long will it take to catch up" I mean "How long after the car has STOPPED will the coach reach the destination?". I just wanted to keep the puzzle exactly the same as printed.

1hr 2min 30secs

[Guest]

Just over an hour

You are correct;

D/V = T

190/48 = 3.95

Time * Speed of Car 2 = 150 miles

Difference

40 miles, at 38 mph = just over 1 hour

Edited April 16, 2008 by PolishNorbi

[Guest]

1hr 2min 30secs

Congrats Brandonb. Right answer. Now let's see if anyone else can get it exactly right

[Guest]

Decided to post the newest puzzle from Mensa UK ...

This seems like it would only be a Mensa problem if you had to do it in your head ...

That you would cover 190 miles in exactly 4 hours at 48mph is the kinda thing that most people gloss over when they sit down to plug numbers into a formula, but a mathematically inclined person will intuitively grasp this and figure that the 10mph difference, over four hours, will leave the coach 40 miles behind, and so, at 38mph, the answer is clearly "a little over 1 hour." Of course it's not hard to do the remaining math (40/38*60) with paper or a calculator, but the trick to seeing the approximate answer quickly without writing anything down is what makes this an interesting problem to me.

Incidentally, wouldn't the answer be 1 hr 3 mins 9.5 secs? (40m/38m/h = 1.0526 * 60 min/h = 63.158 mins)

*Edit: Ugh. Uh, yeah, I missed something. I'll leave my above blathering as a fine example of foolhardiness. My initial presumption, the part that made the problem "interesting," was also completely wrong.

190/48 != 4. So, it's just another basic rate problem which is solved quickest with a calculator. Oh well. Are calculator's allowed on the Mensa test?

Edited April 16, 2008 by Duh Puck

[Guest]

1 hr 3 mins

[Guest]

1:02:30

[Guest]

1 hr. 2 min. 29 sec.

[Guest]

The answer on Mensa UK is One hour, two minutes, 30 seconds. So if the OP has something else, this puzzle has been answered the only difference it has not been written out.

[Guest]

time=distance/speed

using this formula,

time taken by car= 190/48=3.9583333. I will round it off to two decimal places. thus t=3.96 hours.

time taken by coach to cover same distance= 190/38= 5 hours.

Difference between the time= 5-3.96= 1.04 hours . 0.04hours= 2.4 mins= 2 mins and 24 secs.

hence my answer is 1 hour,2 minutes,24 seconds. I think the difference of 6 seconds maybe because of approximations used.

[Guest]

are brainteasers/puzzles asked in Mensa so easy? I thought that they would be difficult....like say for example in this puzzle,one may give the speed in mph and ask the answer in kph....or conversion from kph to mps...or something of sort.

[Guest]

1h 2min and 24sec

Decided to post the newest puzzle from Mensa UK. This one should be easier:

A car and a coach set off from the same point, at the same time, to travel the same journey.

The car travels at 48 mph and the coach travels at 38 mph.

If the car stops after 190 miles, how long will it take the coach to catch up?

NB: By "How long will it take to catch up" I mean "How long after the car has STOPPED will the coach reach the destination?". I just wanted to keep the puzzle exactly the same as printed.

[Guest]

are brainteasers/puzzles asked in Mensa so easy? I thought that they would be difficult....like say for example in this puzzle,one may give the speed in mph and ask the answer in kph....or conversion from kph to mps...or something of sort.

I believe the Mensa puzzles are measured on accuracy under a time limit, age is a factor too, you get a handicap allowance if your a girl and more if you are a mum, more still if you are not married!

If you are as old as me then you get an extra mulligan

[Guest]

0.04hours= 2.4 mins= 2 mins and 24 secs.

I think most aren't using 0.04 but the more exact 0.0416666....

This gives an answer of 2 mins and 29.999... seconds- and since .999... exactly equals 1...- 2 mins and 30 seconds.

[Guest]

It's impossible to know because the coach might hit traffic