A Puzzle A Day: 2026-05-13

Detective Inspector Anya Sharma is investigating a daring jewel heist. The thieves disabled the museum's primary security system at exactly 7:00 PM. A witness, located 100 km away on the only escape route, saw the getaway car speed past their house at exactly 8:15 PM. The car was later found abandoned 60 km further down the same road, at exactly 9:00 PM, with its engine still warm. Assuming the thieves drove at a constant speed from the museum to where they abandoned the car, what is the *earliest* possible time the getaway car could have left the museum?
Correct: 7:00 PM
Here's how Detective Inspector Sharma solved the case: 1. **Calculate the car's speed:** The car traveled from the witness's house to the abandoned car, a distance of 60 km. It did this between 8:15 PM and 9:00 PM. This is a duration of 45 minutes, which is 0.75 hours (45/60). Speed = Distance / Time = 60 km / 0.75 hours = 80 km/h. 2. **Calculate the travel time from the museum to the witness's house:** The distance from the museum to the witness's house is 100 km. Using the constant speed we just calculated: Time = Distance / Speed = 100 km / 80 km/h = 1.25 hours. 1.25 hours is 1 hour and 15 minutes. 3. **Determine the *calculated* departure time from the museum:** If the car passed the witness at 8:15 PM and took 1 hour and 15 minutes to reach that point from the museum, then it must have left the museum at: 8:15 PM - 1 hour 15 minutes = 7:00 PM. 4. **Consider the security system information:** The puzzle states that the museum's security system was disabled at exactly 7:00 PM. This means the car *could not* have left the museum before 7:00 PM. 5. **Conclusion:** The calculated departure time (7:00 PM) perfectly aligns with the earliest possible time the car could have left, given that the security system was disabled at that exact moment. Therefore, the earliest possible time the getaway car could have left the museum is 7:00 PM.
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