SOLUTION: A boat crew that can row at a rate of 8 miles per hour in still water has found that it takes 1.5 times as long to row any specified distance upstream as it does to row the same di

Question 911667: A boat crew that can row at a rate of 8 miles per hour in still water has found that it takes 1.5 times as long to row any specified distance upstream as it does to row the same distance downstream. What is the rate of the current in miles per hour?
Answer by josgarithmetic(39616) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
_______________rate__________time__________distance
UP_____________8-c___________(1.5)t________d
DOWN___________8+c___________t_____________d

t is the time to go downstream for distance d.
c is speed of the river current.
d is the specifiable distance.
The unknown variables are t and c.

Upstream is against the current, so is less a rate and takes MORE TIME.
The same distance d for both directions in the description.

This specific problem does not have a unique solution.
and , and since those are two formulas for d, .

If you knew something more about time, you could solve for c.
RELATED QUESTIONS
Hi A man can row 8km per hour in still water. If it takes him 3 times as long to row... (answered by ikleyn)

A man who can row 4 miles per hour in still water finds that it requires 6 1/2 hours to... (answered by josgarithmetic)

a man who can row 4 miles per hour in still water finds that it requires 6 1/2 hours to... (answered by josgarithmetic)

A man can row a boat 4 miles per hour in still water. If he can row downstream three... (answered by mananth)

A man can row a boat four miles per hour in still water. If he can row downstream 3 times (answered by josmiceli)

Mike and his brothers can row a boat 18 km per hour in still water. It takes them as long (answered by ikleyn)

Kate can row a boat 10 miles per hour in still water. In a river where the current is 5... (answered by josgarithmetic,MathTherapy)

a crew team can row 48 km downstream in 4 hours, but it takes 6 hours to row that same... (answered by josmiceli)

Kate can row a boat 12 miles per hour in still water. in a river where the current is 6... (answered by josgarithmetic,stanbon,MathTherapy)