When will the fast runner overtake the slower runner on a circular 200-m track?

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SUMMARY

In a scenario involving two runners on a 200-meter circular track, the faster runner, traveling at a speed of 6.20 m/s, will overtake the slower runner, who runs at 5.50 m/s. To determine when this occurs, one must set up an algebraic equation based on their speeds and the distance covered. The faster runner will complete one additional lap compared to the slower runner, plus a fraction of a lap that accounts for the difference in their speeds.

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donald1403
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Two runners start simultaneously from the same point on a circular 200-m track and run in the same direction. One runs at constand speed of 6.20 m/s and the other at a constant speed of 5.50 m/s. When will the fast one overtake("lap") the slower one and how far from the starting point will each have run?

please help thx.

st
 
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Show us how you think you should set up the algebra to solve this. Think of it in terms of some number of 200m laps plus a little extra. The faster runner runs one more lap than the slower runner, plus that same extra fraction of a lap (which could be zero if the numbers were set up that way).
 

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