Word Prob: Roughly how long for the lava to reach gardens?

[tseday871221]

I would really appreciate it if someone could help me with this problem . Im not really good at word problems. I freeze at the sight of them . I have no Idea what to do first or even what to look for. Can someone please help solve this problem for me.

In 1983, the hawaiian volcano Kilauea began erupting in a series of episodes still occuring at the time of this writing. At times the lava flows advanced at speeds of up to 0.5 kilometer per hour. In 1983 and 1984 lava flows destroyed 16 homes in Royal Gardens subdvision, about 6 km away from the eruption site. Roughly how long Did it take the lava to reach Royal Gardens?

Thanks!

 

[tkhunny]

I would really appreciate it if someone could help me with this problem.

That's fine. It's why we're here.

Im not really good at word problems.

Stop talking like that. You NEVER will get over it if you continue to think it.

I freeze at the sight of them.

Only because you choose to. It is NOT necessary. Get over this with effort.

I have no Idea what to do first or even what to look for.

Hogwash! You DO know how to think. Give it a try. Panic is not useful.

In 1983, the hawaiian volcano Kilauea began erupting in a series of episodes still occuring at the time of this writing. At times the lava flows advanced at speeds of up to 0.5 kilometer per hour. In 1983 and 1984 lava flows destroyed 16 homes in Royal Gardens subdvision, about 6 km away from the eruption site. Roughly how long Did it take the lava to reach Royal Gardens?

First, weed out all the distracting information and focus on the real problem.

speeds of up to 0.5 kilometer per hour
about 6 km away
roughly how long Did it take

That is SO much cleaner.

This problem is a little weird because we are not given the actual speed. What we have is a maximum speed. This will result in a minimum time -- the faster one travels, the sooner one arrives, right?

So, 6 km / 0.5 kph = 12 hours. Since the speed was at most 0.5 kph, the real time probably was more than that.

Don't let problems scare you. You solve real problems every day without even thinking about it.

1) If it takes you 3 minutes to fix your eyes in the morning, how long will it take you to get your eyes ready?

2) If your meeting starts at 12:00 and it takes you 15 minutes to get there, when do you have to leave?

3) If you want a skirt for $20, and a shirt for $10, will you have a successful encounter at the cash register if you brought only $25.

Somehow writing the problem on an exam makes them tough? No it doesn't. You can do it. Trust me on this.