IMC 2013 Q5
5. The northern wheatear is a small bird weighing less than an ounce. Some northern wheatears migrate from sub-Saharan Africa to their Arctic breeding grounds, travelling almost 15 000 km. The journey takes just over 7 weeks. Roughly how far do they travel each day, on average?
- A 1 km
- B 9 km
- C 30 km
- D 90 km
- E 300 km
Intermediate Mathematical Challenge 2013, Question 5. © UK Mathematics Trust. Original paper on ukmt.org.uk
Answer: E 300 km
A wheatear travels the distance of almost 15 000 km in approximately 50 days. This is on average roughly 300 km per day.
Solution © UK Mathematics Trust, from the IMC 2013 solutions. Longer versions with investigations: Solutions and investigations (PDF).