Hannah runs down the street to catch her bus. She runs for a total of 12 seconds. On the sidewalk, she runs 16 feet per second. When she crosses the street, she runs 3 feet per second. Hannah runs a total distance of 127 feet

How many seconds did Hannah spend running on the sidewalk? Enter your answer in the box.

1 answer

Let \( t \) be the time Hannah spends running on the sidewalk in seconds. Therefore, the time she spends running in the street will be \( 12 - t \) seconds, since the total running time is 12 seconds.

The distance Hannah covers while running on the sidewalk can be calculated using the formula:

\[ \text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} \]

For the sidewalk:

\[ \text{Distance on sidewalk} = 16 , \text{feet/second} \times t , \text{seconds} = 16t , \text{feet} \]

For the street:

\[ \text{Distance in street} = 3 , \text{feet/second} \times (12 - t) , \text{seconds} = 3(12 - t) , \text{feet} = 36 - 3t , \text{feet} \]

The total distance that Hannah runs is the sum of the distances she runs on the sidewalk and in the street:

\[ \text{Total distance} = \text{Distance on sidewalk} + \text{Distance in street} \]

Given that the total distance is 127 feet, we set up the equation:

\[ 16t + (36 - 3t) = 127 \]

Now, simplify and solve for \( t \):

\[ 16t + 36 - 3t = 127 \] \[ 13t + 36 = 127 \] \[ 13t = 127 - 36 \] \[ 13t = 91 \] \[ t = \frac{91}{13} \] \[ t = 7 \]

Hannah spent \( \boxed{7} \) seconds running on the sidewalk.