SOLUTION: Paddlewheel Pat has a motorboat. He can travel a distance of 10 miles boating into the current in the same time it takes him to travel 15 miles with the current. If the current
Algebra.Com
Question 1171616: Paddlewheel Pat has a motorboat. He can travel a distance of 10 miles boating into the current in the same time it takes him to travel 15 miles with the current. If the current has a speed of 3 mph, what is the speed of Pat’s boat in still water?
Found 2 solutions by ankor@dixie-net.com, greenestamps:
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Paddlewheel Pat has a motorboat.
He can travel a distance of 10 miles boating into the current in the same time it takes him to travel 15 miles with the current.
If the current has a speed of 3 mph, what is the speed of Pat’s boat in still water?
:
let s = his speed in still water
then
(s+3) = his speed with the current
and
(s-3) = his speed against
:
Write a time equation, time = dist/speed
=
cross multiply
15(s-3) = 10(s+3)
15s - 45 = 10x + 30
15s - 10s = 30 + 45
5s = 75
s = 75/5
s = 15 mph in still water
:
:
Check this by finding the time of each way, should be equal
15/18 = .833 hrs
10/12 = .833 hrs
Answer by greenestamps(13206) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Here is a highly unusual way for solving this kind of problem that I personally find easy to use.
Take a look at it and see if it "works" for you. If not, there are of course many other ways to solve the problem.
The times are the same, and the distances are in the ratio 10:15 = 2:3. That means the speeds are in the ratio 2:3.
If the speed of the boat in still water is x, then the upstream speed is x-3 and the downstream speed is x+3.
Solve for x by writing the ratio 2:3 as an equivalent ratio in which the difference between the two numbers is the difference between the upstream and downstream speeds:
On the left, the difference between numerator and denominator is 1; on the right is is 6. To get the desired equivalent ratio, multiply numerator and denominator on the left by 6.
So x-3 is 12 and x+3 is 18; that means x is 15.
ANSWER: The speed of the boat in still water is 15 mph.
RELATED QUESTIONS
A motorboat takes two thirds as much time to travel ten miles downstream as it does to... (answered by jorel1380)
A motorboat can travel 20 mph in still water. If the boat can travel 3 miles downstream... (answered by mananth)
a canoe can travel 15 mi/hr in still water. Going with the current, it can travel 20... (answered by stanbon)
A motorboat traveling with the current can go 36 miles in 2 hours. against the current it (answered by oberobic)
Ellen's motorboat can travel 30 mi/h in still water. If the boat can travel 7 miles... (answered by stanbon)
Fernando’s motorboat can travel 30 mi/hr in still water.
If the boat can travel 9 miles (answered by richwmiller)
Fernandos's motorboat can travel 30mi/h in still water. if the boat can travel 9 miles... (answered by scott8148)
please help me in this question: A motorboat can travel at a rate of 25 kilometers per... (answered by ravishingravi)
In his motorboat, man can go downstream in 1 hour less time than he can go upstream the... (answered by ankor@dixie-net.com)