To determine how long it will take Violet to catch up to Owen, we can set up a relationship between the distances each person has traveled over time.
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Determine their speeds in miles per hour:
- Violet's speed = 3.8 mph
- Owen's speed = 2.6 mph
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Establish the initial distance between them:
- Owen has already hiked 1.5 miles when Violet starts.
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Let \( t \) represent the time in hours that Violet hikes.
- In that time, Violet will travel \( 3.8t \) miles.
- During the same time, Owen will travel \( 2.6t \) miles.
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Set up the equation for the distance: Violet catches up to Owen when the distance Violet has traveled is equal to the distance Owen has traveled plus the initial distance he is ahead:
\[ 3.8t = 2.6t + 1.5 \]
- Solve for \( t \):
- Subtract \( 2.6t \) from both sides:
\[ 3.8t - 2.6t = 1.5 \]
\[ 1.2t = 1.5 \]
- Now, divide both sides by 1.2:
\[ t = \frac{1.5}{1.2} = 1.25 \text{ hours} \]
- Convert hours to minutes: To convert 0.25 hours to minutes, multiply by 60:
\[ 0.25 \times 60 = 15 \text{ minutes} \]
Thus, it will take Violet 1 hour and 15 minutes (or 1.25 hours) to catch up to Owen.