SOLUTION: A boat travels at the rate of 8kph in still water, If it can travel a given distance upstream in 5 hours and the same distance in 3 hours, what is the rate of the current?

Question 272667: A boat travels at the rate of 8kph in still water, If it can travel a given distance upstream in 5 hours and the same distance in 3 hours, what is the rate of the current?
Answer by mananth(16946) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A boat travels at the rate of 8kph in still water, If it can travel a given distance upstream in 5 hours and the same distance in 3 hours, what is the rate of the current?
Let the speed of the current be x
upstream the boat will lose speed by x mph.
So the boats speed will be 8-x mph
Time taken is 5 hours
So distance traveled is rate * time
(8-x) * 5
Downstream the boat will gain speed .
So the speed will be 8+x
Distance traveled = 3*(8+x)
Since the distance upstream and donstream are same
5*(8-x)= 3*(8+x)
40-5x= 24+3x
40-24= 3x+5x
16=8x
16/8=x
x=2
Speed of the current = 2mph

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