Please help!! Math problem and I don't know how to do it!! 14 points!!

Brian and Richard stand back-to-back. Each boy takes 5 equally spaced steps, in opposite directions from the starting location. At this point, Richard walks to where Brian is now and does so in 9 steps. How many times bigger are Richard's steps than Brian's steps?

Respuesta :

Let Brian's steps have a measure of 1, and Richard's steps have a measure of k. Then after each walks 5 steps away from the other, their distance apart is

... 5 + 5k

We are told that distance is equal to 9 of Richard's steps, so is equal to 9k.

... 5 + 5k = 9k

... 5 = 4k . . . . . . . subtract 5k

... 5/4 = k . . . . . . divide by 4

Richard's steps are 5/4 the size of Brian's steps. The appropriate selection is

... b) 5/4