1952 AMC 12 Problem 25

Attempt Problem 25 of the 1952 AMC 12 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1952 AMC 12 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

25.

A powderman set a fuse for a blast to take place in 3030 seconds. He ran away at a rate of 88 yards per second. Sound travels at the rate of 10801080 feet per second. When the powderman heard the blast, he had run approximately:
200200 yd.
352352 yd.
300300 yd.
245245 yd.
512512 yd.
Answer: D
Concepts:distance rate and timeunit conversion
Small hint:
Let TT be the total number of seconds from lighting the fuse until the sound is heard
Big hint:
At time TT, the sound has traveled for T−30T-30 seconds and must cover the runner’s distance
Solution:
Let TT be the total time in seconds. The powderman is 8T8T yards, or 24T24T feet, from the blast. Because the sound starts after 3030 seconds, 1080(T−30)=24T. 1080(T-30)=24T. Thus T=135044T=\frac{1350}{44} seconds, and the distance he ran is 8T=270011≈245.45 yards. 8T=\frac{2700}{11}\approx245.45\text{ yards}.
Approximately 245245 yards is the listed value, so the correct answer is D.
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