Old Tricks
No. 013 · WEDNESDAY, 4 NOVEMBER 2026 · NUMBERS · ●●●○○

Into the wind

A girl in a cap cycles along a path beside a river, leaning forward. Curved wind lines blow towards her from the right and the trees bend with it. A sign beside the path says 1 km and a school stands at the end.

Nia cycles 1 km along the river path to school. With the wind behind her, it takes 3 minutes.

Coming home against the same wind, the same 1 km takes 4 minutes.

On a day with no wind at all, how many minutes would Nia take to ride 1 km?

Type minutes. A fraction or mixed number, like 2 1/2, is fine.