High School

The Chunnel connects the United Kingdom and France by a railway tunnel under the English Channel. The British started tunneling 2.5 months before the French and averaged 0.63 kilometers per month. The French averaged 0.47 kilometers per month. When the two sides met, they had tunneled 37.9 kilometers.

Questions:

1. How many kilometers of tunnel did each country build?

2. If the French started tunneling on February 28, 1988, approximately when did the two sides meet?

Answer :

Final answer:

The British dug about 23.44 kilometers of the tunnel and the French dug about 14.46 kilometers. The French started digging on February 28, 1988, and met the British around October 1990.

Explanation:

The task requires mathematics calculation, more specifically, a combination of linear equations and time calculation. Let's denote the time it took the French to complete their part of the tunnel as x months. Therefore, the British have been digging for x + 2.5 months because they started 2.5 months earlier. The British dug 0.63 km per month and the French 0.47 km per month. So, the distance covered by the British is (x + 2.5) * 0.63 km and by the French is x * 0.47 km. Together, they covered 37.9 kilometers, so the equation will be 0.63 * (x + 2.5) + 0.47 * x = 37.9. Solving this equation, we get x ≈ 30.77 months. Thus, the French dug approximately 14.46 kilometers, and the British dug approximately 23.44 kilometers. If the French started digging on February 28, 1988, they met the British around October 1990, considering rounding up the months.

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