"A depends on B and C" or "A depends on B and on C?

I know that, in some cases, it can change the meaning. For instance,

"The delay depends on how the cpu handles the processes and the network load."

is ambiguous and could mean that the cpu handles the network load, while

"The delay depends on how the cpu handles the processes and on the network load."

is more clear.

But, what about:

"The travel time depends on how fast you walk and the distance to your destination."

There is no ambiguity here, but would it be better to put an "on" preposition before "the distance to your destination"?

Solution 1:

X depends on Y and Z

and

X depends on Y and on Z

are both correct.

The approach depends on how the cpu handles the processes and the network bandwidth available at the moment

is ambiguous because it can mean the dependency is on two things (how the cpu handles the processes; network bandwith) or how the cpu handles two things (processes; network bandwith) so you may want to add on to remove this ambiguity if that is what you intend.

Solution 2:

I wouldn't say that your first two sentences have different meanings. Rather, your first sentence is ambiguous, while the second eliminates the ambiguity.

I'm not just being pedantic here. The "travel time" example does not need a second "on" because it is not ambiguous. It doesn't hurt to add it, but it's not necessary.

We could read your first sentence as "The delay depends on (how the cpu handles the processes) and (the network load)", or as "The delay depends on how the cpu handles (the processes) and (the network load)". (If you see what I mean by the parentheses.) But there's no such ambiguity in the "travel time" example. You can't "fast the distance".