Maria and John start cycling toward each other from two points, A and B, respectively. Keeping in mind that John passes through B 1 hour earlier than Maria passes through A. The distance between A and B is 60 kilometers. Maria’s cycling pace is 15 kilometers per hour, while Juan’s is 20 kilometers per hour. How far did John travel when they met?

A. 24
B. 30
C. 36
D. 40
E. 45

Answer:

Let t represent the number of hours John cycled when they met. At that point, John has covered a distance of 20t kilometres, while Maria has covered a distance of 15(t + 1) kilometres, as she started an hour earlier. These distances must sum up to 60 kilometres.

So, we have the equation:
20t + 15(t + 1) = 60

Expanding and solving for t:
20t + 15t + 15 = 60
35t + 15 = 60
35t = 45
t = 1.29 (hours)

Therefore, John has cycled 20t = 20 * 1.29 ≈ 25.8 kilometres when they meet.

The closest option to 25.8 is 24 kilometres (Option A), making it the best answer.