Problem: Two cyclists, miles apart, and starting at the same time, would be together in hours if they traveled in the same direction, but would pass each other in hours if they traveled in opposite directions. The ratio of the speed of the faster cyclist to that of the slower is:
Answer Choices:
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
Solution:
Let and denote the speeds of the faster and slower cyclists, respectively. The distances (measured from the starting point of the faster cyclist) at which they meet are
(1) when they travel in the same direction, and
(2) when the slower one comes to meet the other.
From (2), ; from (1), .
,