It is said that a friend once gave Norbert Wiener this problem. Dr. Wiener is th

Question

It is said that a friend once gave Norbert Wiener this problem. Dr. Wiener is the famous mathematical physicist who invented cybernetics, and his friend wanted to see if Dr. Wiener thought like a physicist or like a mathematician. A garbage truck starts out 5 miles from the city landfill. The truck travels at 10 mph. A fly on the garbage truck takes off and heads for the dump at 20 mph. When the fly gets to the dump, it turns around and heads back to the truck. Arriving at the truck, the fly again turns around and heads for the dump. The fly repeats this procedure over and over again until the truck arrives at the dump. How far does the fly go (the total distance, so the answer is not "5 miles")?

Explanation / Answer

Time taken by the truck = 5/10 = 0.5 hr so distance travelled by the fly = 20*0.5 =10 miles

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse I
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.