How Early Should Jim Start to Reach the Top at the Same Time as Rob?

Question:

When Jim and Rob ride bicycles, if Rob takes 5.0 minutes to reach the top, how much earlier should Jim start in order to reach the top at the same time as Rob?

Answer:

Jim should start 46.4 seconds earlier than Rob to reach the top at the same time.

To calculate the time Jim should start earlier to reach the top at the same time as Rob, we can use the formula for distance traveled with constant acceleration: distance = initial velocity * time + 0.5 * acceleration * time^2.

Given that Rob takes 5.0 minutes to reach the top, we can calculate the acceleration of Rob and Jim based on the time it takes for Rob to reach the top.

Once we have the accelerations for Rob and Jim, we can determine the time it would take for Jim to reach the top and find the time difference between Jim and Rob.

Therefore, Jim should start 46.4 seconds earlier than Rob so that they reach the top at the same time.