Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

At the start of this problem two locomotives are 6 miles apart, sitting on the same track, facing each other. They both start moving, and pick up their speeds to a constant 20 MPH. When they are exactly 5 miles apart (and each now traveling at 20 mph), a Crow that was sitting at the front of one of the locomotives takes off and heads directly toward the other locomotive. He lands on the front of that locomotive and immediately takes off again, flying directly back to the first locomotive. He lands and again takes off directly toward the other locomotive. He performs this feat, landing/taking off and flying back and forth between the locomotives constantly. Neglecting the landing and takeoff times of the crow and assuming it flies at a constant rate of 30 mph, what is the TOTAL DISTANCE the Crow will fly before being crushed by the two locomotives?
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Please submit your answers to me using PM, Topic “Crow”. The answer and names of winners will be posted in 48 hours.
HINT: There are two possible ways to solve this problem; one is somewhat difficult, the other is quite easy.

FINALLY: Don’t look for tricks, there are none, and you’ve been given all of the information you need to solve the problem.
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As a small bonus, here is a video of a crow playing chicken with a train. View it full screen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdHlMbHHzGA

Even with the foreshortening of the view, I’d bet the crow stood on the tracks a lot longer than any of us would have.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Oops. Forgot to PM

ELNikkor

I had a crow. He would have been killed by the first impact of the first locomotive at 20 mph, not to mention being pinned to it and not being able to accelerate off of it, if it was going 20mph and he survived the first impact.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

Are you saying that the bird could not fly forward at 30MPH off of a locomotive that is travelling at 20mph ?
If you have an answer to the problem, please send it to me using a PM.

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

Your having an inferior crow has no bearing on the problem. 😜🤪

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

I would prefer to keep the comments non personal. I had already responded to this HOGG.
Thank you.

bodiebill

Splat! one crow--first landing impact speed 50 mph (train 20 mph + crow at 30 mph)

SonyBug

Oh oh. Howard does not like it when people do not exactly follow his rules!

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

The crow in this problem did exactly what the problem said it could do.

bobmcculloch Loc: NYC, NY

Yup!

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

I think you have mistaken a math problem for real life. There are certain "Givens" in a math problem and they are to be taken as fact within the problem. I had a math teacher who could not draw a reasonable looking circle on the blackboard. When he stipulated that what he had drawn as being a circle - the class had to solve the problem as if what he drew was a circle. Comments about whether a crow could actually perform in real life as the crow in the problem has no relevance to the problem ... at all.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

I think you have mistaken a math problem for real life. There are certain "Givens" in a math problem and they are to be taken as fact within the problem. I had a math teacher who could not draw a reasonable looking circle on the blackboard. When he stipulated that what he had drawn as being a circle - the class had to solve the problem as if what he drew was a circle. Comments about whether a crow could actually perform in real life as the crow in the problem has no relevance to the problem ... at all.

Howard5252 Loc: New York / Florida (now)

As of now, some correct answers have been received. The solution will be posted at this time tomorrow.

apacs1 Loc: Lansdale, PA

3.75 miles

apacs1 Loc: Lansdale, PA

PM, Topic “Crow”
3.75 miles