Mind Blowing Problem
There is a train track that is 1024 miles long. On that track is a flat bed train 512 miles long, upon which rests a 512 mile long track. On that track is a flat bed train 256 miles long, upon which rests a 256 mile long track. The cycle continues with a 128 mile long train and track, then a 64 mile long train and track, a 32 mile long, 16 miles, 8, 4, 2, and finally 1.
All in all, there are 10 trains residing on 10 tracks. Each train has a top speed that is equal to its length. (The 512 mile train travels at 512 miles per hour, the 8 mile train travels at 8 miles per hour, etc.)
The rear ends of the trains are all flush with each other, and all the trains start instantaneously. The trains reach their top speeds immediately, and when they reach the end of their track, they stop immediately. The laws of inertia do not apply to these trains when they stop, nor when they start.
Is the top train, which spans a 1024 mile distance in one hour, travelling 1 mile per hour, or 1024 miles per hour?
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