Speed & Distance Puzzles 27nineteen steps for his last bound!" How many steps are there in the Curley
Street subway stairway? The bottom floor does not count as a step, and the
top landing does.88. THE BUS RIDE
George treated his best girl to a bus ride, but on account of his limited re-
sources it was necessary that they should walk back. Now, if the bus goes at
the rate of nine miles an hour and they walk at the rate of three miles an
hour, how far can they ride so that they may be back in eight hours?
89. A QUESTION OF TRANSPORT
Twelve soldiers had to get to a place twenty miles distant with the quickest
possible dispatch, and all had to arrive at exactly the same time. They requi-
sitioned the services of a man with a small car.
"I can do twenty miles an hour," he said, "but I cannot carry more than
four men at a time. At what rate can you walk?"
"All of us can do a steady four miles an hour," they replied.
"Very well," exclaimed the driver, "then I will go ahead with four men,
drop them somewhere on the road to walk, then return and pick up four more
(who will be somewhere on the road), drop them also, and return for the last
four. So all you have to do is to keep walking while you are on your feet, and
I will do the res t."
They started at noon. What was the exact time that they all arrived together?- HOW FAR WAS IT?
"The steamer," remarked one of our officers home from the East, "was able
to go twenty miles an hour downstream, but could only do fifteen miles an
hour upstream. So, of course, she took five hours longer in coming up than
in going down."
One could not resist working out mentally the distance from point to point.
What was it?