Discussion

A squirrel can climb 5 metres of a pole in one minute but slips 2 metres in the next minute. How much time will the squirrel take to climb 26 metres?

Answer: C

Each two-minute cycle gains a net 3 metres, but the final climb is not followed by a slip - so do not simply divide 26 by 3.

After 14 minutes (seven full cycles):

\[ 7 \times 3 = 21 \text{ m} \]

In the 15th minute the squirrel climbs another 5 m:

\[ 21 + 5 = 26 \text{ m} \]

So it takes 15 minutes. Dividing \( \tfrac{26}{3} \times 2 \approx 17.3 \) minutes over-counts, because it charges a slip for the last climb too.

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