Question

Elmer the emu takes $44$ equal strides to walk between consecutive telephone poles on a rural road. Oscar the ostrich can cover the same distance in $12$ equal leaps. The telephone poles are evenly spaced, and the $41$ st pole along this road is exactly one mile ( $5280$ feet) from the first pole. How much longer, in feet, is Oscar’s leap than Elmer’s stride?

$6$

$8$

$10$

$11$

$15$

Answer: B

Concepts:fencepost counting ratio and proportion

Difficulty rating: 1270

Small Hint:

From the first pole to the $41$ st pole there are $40$ gaps, so each gap is $\dfrac{5280}{40}$ feet

Big Hint:

Elmer’s stride is one gap divided by $44;$ Oscar’s leap is one gap divided by $12$

Solution:

There are $40$ gaps between the first and $41$ st poles, so each gap is $\dfrac{5280}{40} = 132$ feet.

Elmer’s stride is $\dfrac{132}{44} = 3$ feet and Oscar’s leap is $\dfrac{132}{12} = 11$ feet, a difference of $11 - 3 = 8$ feet.

Thus, the correct answer is B.

2021 AMC 12A Fall Problem 5

Answer: B

Difficulty rating: 1270

Small Hint:

Big Hint:

Solution:

Problem 5 in Other Years