bodner088

Image ( somewhat distracting and annoying ) via Wikipedia Progress, from the starting line to the finish line , can occur in many different ways. Some start the race slowly but speed up toward the end, using reserves of strength; some jog along at a steady, even pace; still others virtually go into orbit at the start and burn out quickly to a vomitous, spleen-gripping, huff-and-puff walk. Since we are Braintenance , we will choose a five kilometer race, in which three mathematicians are competing. Each has a distinct running pattern, strategy or (ulp!) formula for spanning the distance. The question to answer regarding each runner is simply this: "How long will it take him (in minutes ) to reach the finish line to receive his souvenir Tee-shirt?" Of course, these Ts are only available in one size...XXL. Here's the lineup of our contestants : Racer 1 :  This fellow runs (on average) one kilometer every 18 minutes. Racer 2 :  This fellow starts the race at a rate of one ki...

Image (somewhat distracting and annoying) via Wikipedia Progress, from the starting line to the finish line , can occur in many different ways. Some start the race slowly but speed up toward the end, using reserves of strength; some jog along at a steady, even pace; still others virtually go into orbit at the start and burn out quickly to a vomitous, spleen-gripping, huff-and-puff walk. Since we are Braintenance, we will choose a five kilometer race, in which five mathematicians are competing. Each has a distinct running pattern, strategy or (ulp!) formula for spanning the distance. The question to answer regarding each runner is simply this: "How long will it take him (in minutes ) to reach the finish line to receive his souvenir Tee-shirt?" Here's the lineup of our contestants : Racer 1:  This fellow runs (on average) one kilometer every 18 minutes. Racer 2:  This fellow starts the race at a rate of one kilometer every 12 minutes, but his pace declines by 10% per kilom...