Question

A drunkard walking in a narrow lane takes 5 steps forward and 3 steps backward, followed again by 5 steps forward and 3 steps backward, and so on. Each step is 1 m long and required 1 s to cover. How long the drunkard takes to fall in a pit 13 m away from the start?

Options

• 9 s

• 21 s

• 32 s

• 37 s

Answer 1

37 s

Explanation:

Distance covered with 1 step = 1 m

Time taken = 1 s

Time taken to move 5 m forward = 5 s

Time taken to move 3 m backward = 3 s

Net distance covered = 5 – 3 = 2 m

Net time taken to cover 2 m = 8 s

Drunkard covers 4 m is 16 s, 6 m in 24 s, 8 m in 32 s

Net time taken by drunkard = 32 + 5 = 37 s.