Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/18/84; site asgb.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!cbosgd!ihnp4!qantel!hplabs!hao!asgb!gupta From: gupta@asgb.UUCP (Yogesh K Gupta) Newsgroups: net.puzzle Subject: Re: infinitesimal bees (SPOILER) Message-ID: <809@asgb.UUCP> Date: Wed, 6-Nov-85 12:43:15 EST Article-I.D.: asgb.809 Posted: Wed Nov 6 12:43:15 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 10-Nov-85 10:15:33 EST References: <10852@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> Reply-To: gupta@asgb.UUCP (Yogesh K Gupta) Organization: Burroughs Corp. ASG, Boulder Colo. Lines: 37 In article <10852@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU> c160-3ay@ucbzooey.BERKELEY.EDU (Banquo's Ghost) writes: >Subject: infinitesimal bees >Newsgroups: net.puzzle > >Here's one from a highschool physics class: > >At time 0, two cars are 5 miles apart, headed directly towards each >other, each moving at 20 miles per hour. (The speed remains constant >throughout the problem.) > >At time 0, a fast bee flies from one car towards the other. As soon >as it reaches the other car, it turns around in infinitesimal time >and heads back towards the first car. And so on. This bee flies at >30 miles per hour. > >How far does the bee travel before being demolished in the eventual >collision? > >...Ranjit As the two cars are 5 miles apart, and are moving towards each other at 40 miles/hour, the collision will occur in 5/40 or 1/8th hour. The bee would have travelled 30* 1/8 or 3.75 miles by then. ps. There is a story that goes with this problem. When posed to a genius (I do not remember the name), he replied after a short pause, "3.75 miles". The person who had posed the problem then said, "I expected you to do the mathematical series." To which the reply was, "I did." Yogesh Gupta. -- Yogesh Gupta Advanced Systems Group, {sdcrdcf, sdcsvax}!bmcg!asgb!gupta Burroughs Corp., Boulder, CO. -------------------------------------------------------------------- All opinions contained in this message are my own and do not reflect those of my employer or the plant on my desk.