SOLUTION: A river cruise boat sailed 96 miles down the Mississippi River for four hours. It took six hours to return. Find the rate of the cruise boat in still water and the rate of the curr

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Question 1136610: A river cruise boat sailed 96 miles down the Mississippi River for four hours. It took six hours to return. Find the rate of the cruise boat in still water and the rate of the current.
Answer by ikleyn(52777)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.

            I just solved a TWIN problem under the link

            https://www.algebra.com/algebra/college/linear/Linear_Algebra.faq.question.1136611.html

            https://www.algebra.com/algebra/college/linear/Linear_Algebra.faq.question.1136611.html


            So,  this time I will be  VERY  SHORT,  omitting words and keeping equations only.


U + v =  = 24      (1)    (the speed downstream, mph)

U - v =  = 16      (2)    (the speed upstream, mph)


Add the equations


2u = 24 + 16 = 40  ===========>  u =  = 20 mph  the rate of the river cruise in still water.

Then from eq(1),  v = 24 - 20 = 4 mph  the rate of the current.


ANSWER.   The rate of the river cruise in still water is 20 mph;  the rate of the current is  4 mph.

Solved.

Check my answer on your own by substituting the found values into equations  (1)  and  (2).

By doing it,  you will understand the solution much better - you will understand it  IN  FULL.

------------------

It is a typical and standard Upstream and Downstream round trip word problem.

You can find many similar fully solved problems on upstream and downstream round trips with detailed solutions in lessons
    - Wind and Current problems
    - More problems on upstream and downstream round trips
    - Wind and Current problems solvable by quadratic equations
    - Unpowered raft floating downstream along a river
    - Selected problems from the archive on the boat floating Upstream and Downstream
in this site, where you will find other similar solved problems with detailed explanations.

Read them attentively and learn how to solve this type of problems once and for all.

Also,  you have this free of charge online textbook in ALGEBRA-I in this site
    - ALGEBRA-I - YOUR ONLINE TEXTBOOK.

The referred lessons are the part of this textbook under the section "Word problems",  the topic "Travel and Distance problems".


Save the link to this online textbook together with its description

Free of charge online textbook in ALGEBRA-I
https://www.algebra.com/algebra/homework/quadratic/lessons/ALGEBRA-I-YOUR-ONLINE-TEXTBOOK.lesson

to your archive and use it when it is needed.



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