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Running Track Math

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Two runners move along a 400 m track. Their positions are represented by moving points. Set the rate for each runner (in m/s) and use the time slider to control the time (in s) each runner has been running.

Contributed by: Tom De Vries (January 2012)
Open content licensed under CC BY-NC-SA

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A faster runner covers more distance than a slower runner in a given time and eventually laps the slower runner. Given the rates of the runners, how can you calculate when this will happen? How would you use the lowest common factor (LCM) to determine when the runners will meet back up at the starting line?

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