Rates and Works Questions with a Headstart - URGENT!

[mandar.sankholkar]

deleted by moderator JNelson

[jnelson0612]

Unfortunately I had to delete your problem because it is from the GMAT Quantatitive Review book which is a banned source on this forum. Please see the forum guidelines: read-before-you-post-general-math-folder-guidelines-t2717.html

To answer your general question, though, I always handle rates and distance or rates and work problems in which two machines/people/trains/whatever run for a different amount of time this way:

1) I let the one who leaves LATER have the time designated as T.
2) I then indicate that the one who left earlier as T+(amount of time the earlier one went before the later one started).

For example:
Julie started walking at noon, and Rita started walking at 3pm.

Rita's time would be T.
Julie's time would be T+3.

I find that this keeps things easier and less complicated. I hope this is helpful!