October 25, 1999
Problem of the Month

The Winchester Airport Problem

A traveler at the Winchester Airport had lots of time on her hands between flights, so she decided to conduct an experiment on one of the moving walkways.

She found she could walk the length of the walkway, moving in its forward direction, in 1 minute.

Walking at the same rate against the forward direction of the walkway, it took her 3 minutes to cover the same distance.

How long would it take her to cover one length of the walkway if the walkway were to stop??

Solution to the Problem:

The answer is 90 seconds.

In 1 minute, the traveler can walk 1 length in the forward direction but only one-third of a length in the backward direction.

Factoring out the effects of the walkway's speed, we find that in 1 minute she can walk (1 + 1/3) / 2 = 2/3 of a length in one minute.

This means the woman can walk one length of the stationary walkway in 3/2 x 60 = 90 seconds.

Correctly solved by:

1. Tom Marino	Winchester, VA
2. Bob Hearn	Winchester, VA
3. Jon Pence	Winchester, VA

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher