November 2017
Problem of the Month

Blowin' in the Wind

Jimmy Fallon, Kevin Bacon, and Kyra Sedgwick sang a parody of the Peter, Paul, and Mary song called "Blowin' in the Wind."
In their version (which you can watch below), the words of the fourth verse are:

If Train A leaves the station at 10:00 AM
And an hour later so does train B,
Train A's traveling at sixty miles per hour,
Train B's travelin' at eighty ...
Then what is the time at which Train A is passed
by Train B?
The answer my friend, is _____
The answer is _____ .

You must solve the problem and show an algebraic solution.
You will NOT get credit for just sending in an answer without the algebra to back it up.

First Draft of Blowin' in the Wind

Solution to the Problem:

Let x = number of hours that Train B traveled
Use a table to set up the problem:

Rate	Time	Distance
60	x + 1	60 (x + 1)
80	x	80x

Since they travel the same distance, set 60 (x + 1) = 80x
So, 60x + 60 = 80x
Then 60 = 20x, amd x = 3 hours.
Since Train B left the station at 11:00 AM, it took 3 hours (2:00 o'clock) to pass Train A.

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Click here for a link to the video

Published on Jul 21, 2017
First Drafts of Rock takes a look at the original version of Peter, Paul and Mary's cover of Bob Dylan's "Blowin' in the Wind" (featuring Kevin Bacon, Kyra Sedgwick and Jimmy Fallon).
Lyrics below:

How many roads must a man walk down before they call him a man?
How many rows must a minivan have before it's a regular van?
How much sand must a beach have before you say, "Hey, that's way too much sand"?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
How blurry must a gorilla photo be to be confused with Bigfoot?
How could you clap without hurting yourself if you were Captain Hook?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind,
The answer is blowin' in the wind.

What is your favorite U2 album?
My favorite is "Joshua Tree."
What's your second favorite U2 album?
I think mine is "Achtung Baby."
What is your third favorite U2 album?
Hey Peter, please stop asking me.

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind
The answer is blowin' in the wind.
If Train A leaves the station at 10 a.m., and an hour later so does Train B...
Train A's traveling at sixty miles per hour, Train B's travelin' at eighty ...
Then what is the time at which Train A is passed...
...By Traaaaaain B?

The answer, my friend, is 2 o'clock p.m.
The answer is 2 o'clock p.m.

Correctly solved by:

1. James Alarie	Flint, Michigan
2. Ivy Joseph	Pune, Maharashtra, India
3. Manyam Rakesh	Fabtech Projects & Engineers Ltd, Pune, India
4. Jacob Branson	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
5. Ashlee Rudy	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
6. Anna M. Crabtree	MCC Penn Valley, Kansas City, Missouri
7. Nathan Workman	Delta High School, Delta, Colorado
8. Brijesh Dave	Mumbai City, Maharashtra, India
9. Bob Currie	R E Campbell Company, Houston, Texas
10. Jonathan Punke	Joliet Central High School, Joliet, Illinois
11. Caleb Frazier	Delta High School, Delta, Colorado
12. Adalene Thomas	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming
13. Bryce Villanueva	Victoria, Minnesota
14. Darion Strait	Delta High School, Delta, Colorado
15. Sameha Haque	Delta High School, Delta, Colorado
16. Claire Corbasson	Delta High School, Delta, Colorado
17. Kaytri Flint	Mountain View High School, Mountain View, Wyoming

Send any comments or questions to: David Pleacher