two trains

Listed is an adaptation of a travelling train puzzle that will require careful reading: Two trains are travelling to different cities on parallel tracks.  Train A leaves from Atlanta travelling at a constant rate of 50 mph.  Train B leaves from Birmingham travelling at a constant rate of 60 mph.  When the two trains meet, which train is closer to Atlanta?

Many versions of a puzzle about two travelling vehicles moving toward one another are in print.  The puzzle usually involves two trains or two cars.  In one version found in The Colossal Book of Short Puzzles and Problems by Martin Gardner, two missles are headed for impact.  The solver is to use the information about time and speed to calculate a point at which a meeting will occur, or distance 1 minute prior to meeting. However, it is noted that no pencil or paper should be required.

Perhaps this is also the case with the problem listed here. Read the question once again, and determine what information is relevant to what is being asked.  Is it the case here where reading skills are more important than computational skills?

Below is a video which will tip the answer to the listed question… try to think your way through the question prior to watching the clip.

References:

Gardner, M. (2006). The colossal book of short puzzles and problems. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.

Home Box Office (1985). Braingames, episode 3.