Question

A man and a woman, 81 miles apart from each other, start travelling towards each other at the same time. If the man covers 5 miles per hour to the woman's 4 miles per hour, how far will the woman have travelled when they meet?

• A. 27
• B. 36
• C. 45
• D. None of these

Hint:

Since both travel for the same time, split the 81 miles in the ratio of their speeds, 5:4.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is B

Since both people travel for the exact same amount of time before meeting, the 81 miles simply splits between them in the ratio of their speeds.

1. Speed ratio, man to woman, is $5:4$.
2. Total parts $= 5+4=9$, and the total distance of 81 miles is divided in this ratio.
3. Woman's share $= \frac{4}{9} \times 81 = 36$ miles.

This matches the time-based calculation exactly.

So the correct answer is option B, 36 miles.