[Guest]

Instead of watching grass grow, I decided to watch a group of snails cross a path. There were 10 snails all identical in every possible way. The path could accommodate 8 snails at a time and the whole process took 50 minutes is total. If the snails are crossing head to nose all at the same speed how much time does each snail spend travelling?

[Guest]

5 minutes?

50 minutes in total = 10 snails x 5 minutes each

[Jiminy Cricket]

Instead of watching grass grow, I decided to watch a group of snails cross a path. There were 10 snails all identical in every possible way. The path could accommodate 8 snails at a time and the whole process took 50 minutes is total. If the snails are crossing head to nose all at the same speed how much time does each snail spend travelling?

40 minutes for each snail to cross.

(Or 50 minutes because the lead and trailing snails are still traveling while their counterparts are still on the path?)

Edited November 24, 2008 by Jiminy Cricket

[Prime]

I presume, the question is: "How long does it take each snail to cross the path?"

I figure it is 25 min.

The lead snail has traveled 18 snail lengths by the time the procession has cleared the path. And it took 50 min.

One snail has to travel 9 snail lengths to clear the 8-snail wide path. So 50min/x = 18/9 --> x = 25min.

[Guest]

He said there are 10 snails, but the path can only accommodate 8. How does that work?

LOL accommodate 8 rhymes.

[Guest]

Regardless how wide the path was, how fast the snails moved, <insert random variable>, the snails were moving nose to tail (i.e. moving as one unit.)

Therefore, if the entire process took 50 minutes, then each snail must have traveled for 50 minutes.

Unless I'm wrong.

[Faizaan]

Go back and read the original question. It says that only 8 snails could cross at a time. If in total they took 50 minutes to cross.... I've confusimicated myself again!

Hope that helped....If it did.

[Faizaan]

I gots IT!!!!

Each snail travels for 25 Minutes.

look further up in the post. Prime has it.

Like up. not down. yes, this is called down.

you must be curious to look all the way down here. Anyways, Each snail takes 25 min. to cross because the first group--a group of eight--makes it across at the same speed as the second group--of 2. So 50/2=25. all snails move at the same speed. 25 is not split among the snails(you cant split time except in video games.) You get 25.

Look up in Primes post.

[bonanova]

and they line up and cross the path, represented by -'s, in formation, left to right:

0987654321--------0987654321

The entire formation moves 18 snail lengths, at a speed of 18/50 snail lengths/min.

In that case, each of the snails travels the full 50 minutes.

But if they hang around the edge of the path until it's their turn, they each travel only 9 snail lengths.

In that case, the travel time is 9/18 = 1/2 of the full 50 minutes = 25 minutes.

[Jiminy Cricket]

and they line up and cross the path, represented by -'s, in formation, left to right:

0987654321--------0987654321

The entire formation moves 18 snail lengths, at a speed of 18/50 snail lengths/min.

In that case, each of the snails travels the full 50 minutes.

But if they hang around the edge of the path until it's their turn, they each travel only 9 snail lengths.

In that case, the travel time is 9/18 = 1/2 of the full 50 minutes = 25 minutes.

I agree with the math, but the question that is asked is "how much time does each snail spend travelling?"

In order for the last snail to make it all the way across, the first snail must continue to travel. No?

[Guest]

my guess is

25 mins

[Guest]

scratch that, i meant

40 mins

i'm pretty sure that's right...