SOLUTION: a boat travels 70 miles and then comes back, the current was 20 mph the total trip time was 4 hours and 40 minutes, how fast was the boat traveling

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Question 1077949: a boat travels 70 miles and then comes back, the current was 20 mph the total trip time was 4 hours and 40 minutes, how fast was the boat traveling
Found 2 solutions by ankor@dixie-net.com, MathTherapy:
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
a boat travels 70 miles and then comes back,
the current was 20 mph the total trip time was 4 hours and 40 minutes,
how fast was the boat traveling
:
let s = speed of the boat in relation to the water
then
(s-20) = effective speed upstream
and
(s+20) = effective speed downstream
:]
Change 4 hrs, 40 min to hrs: 4 + 40/60 = 4.67 hrs
:
Write a time equation; time = dist/speed
Time downstream + time upstream = 4 hr 40 min
70%2F%28s%2B20%29 + 70%2F%28s-20%29 = 4.67 hr
multiply equation by (s+20)(s-20), cancel the denominators
70(s-20) + 70(s+20) = 4.67(s-20)(s+20)
distribute
70s - 1400 + 70s + 1400 = 4.67(s^2 - 400)
140s = 4.67s^2 - 1866.667
Arrange as a quadratic equation
0 = 4.67s^2 - 140s - 1866.667
Using the quadratic formula, I got positive solution
s = 39.977 ~ 40 mph is boat speed
;
:
Check this find the actual time each way
70/20 = 3.5
70/60 = 1.167
--------------
total time 4.667 hrs which is about 4 hrs and 40 min

Answer by MathTherapy(10556) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
a boat travels 70 miles and then comes back, the current was 20 mph the total trip time was 4 hours and 40 minutes, how fast was the boat traveling
Let boat's speed be S
Then we get the following TIME equation: matrix%281%2C3%2C+70%2F%28S+-+20%29+%2B+70%2F%28S+%2B+20%29%2C+%22=%22%2C+4%26+40%2F60%29_____matrix%281%2C3%2C+70%2F%28S+-+20%29+%2B+70%2F%28S+%2B+20%29%2C+%22=%22%2C+14%2F3%29
70(3)(S + 20) + 70(3)(S - 20) = 14(S - 20)(S + 20) -------- Multiplying by LCD, 3(S - 20)(S + 20)
210S+%2B+210%2820%29+%2B+210S+-+210%2820%29+=+14S%5E2+-+14%28400%29
420S+=+14S%5E2+-+14%28400%29
14S%5E2+-+420S+-+14%28400%29+=+0
14S%5E2+-+420S+-+%225%2C600%22+=+0
14%28S%5E2+-+30S+-+400%29+=+14%280%29
S%5E2+-+30S+-+400+=+0
(S - 40)(S + 10) = 0
S, or boat's speed = highlight_green%28matrix%281%2C2%2C+40%2C+mph%29%29 OR S = - 10 (ignore)