Question

The height of a slippery pole is 10m and an insect is trying to climb the pole. The insect climbs 5m in one minute and then slips down by 4m. In how much time will insect reach the top?

Answer 1

Answer:

Time taken for the insect to reach the top of the pole is 10 minutes.

Given:

• Height of a slippery pole is 10 m.
• An insect climbs 5 m in one minute and then slips down by 4 m.

To Find:

• In how much time will the insect reach the top?

Process:

To find time taken for the insect to reach the top we will first need to find the Distance covered in one minute. Then, as we have Distance to be covered and Speed, we can calculate Time Taken by using the formula :

• $\mathtt{Time\:taken = \dfrac{D}{S}}$

Where,

D = Distance to be covered

S = Speed

Solution:

Height of the pole = 10 m

Length climbed by the insect in one minute = 5 m

Length slipped by the insect in one minute = 4 m

Total distance covered by the insect in one minute = (5 - 4)m = 1 m

∵ Distance covered by insect in one minute is 1 m.

∴ Speed of the insect = 1 m/ min

Now because,

Distance to be covered = 10 m

Speed = 1 m/ min

Therefore,

$\sf{Time\:taken = \dfrac{D}{S}}$

Substituting the values,

$\sf{Time\:taken = \dfrac{10}{1}}\\ \\\sf{Time \:taken = 10 mins}$

Hence, time taken for the insect to reach the top of the pole is 10 minutes.