SOLUTION: A biology teacher drives from Naperville over the Cleveland to visit her sister. During the trip there, she travels the first half of the time at 65 km/hr and the second half the t

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Question 1174166: A biology teacher drives from Naperville over the Cleveland to visit her sister. During the trip there, she travels the first half of the time at 65 km/hr and the second half the time at 95 km/hr. When she comes back, she drives the first half the distance at 65 km/hr and the second half of the distance at 95 km/hr. What is her average speed coming back from Cleveland?
I am confused how to calculate this. I thought it might just be the average of the two speeds but that is not the correct answer. Also, I tried to set up an equation, but solving this did not give me the right answer. The equation I thought might work (wrong answer of 78.6 km) was D/160 + D(1/260 + 1/380), and then divided 1 by 0.0127 (sum of all the D terms). Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.



Answer by ikleyn(52803)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
A biology teacher drives from Naperville over the Cleveland to visit her sister.
During the trip there, she travels the first half of the time at 65 km/hr and the second half the time at 95 km/hr.
When she comes back, she drives the first half the distance at 65 km/hr and the second half of the distance at 95 km/hr.
What is her average speed coming back from Cleveland?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Solution

Let " t " be her total time driving from N to C.


Then the total distance from N to C is  d = 0.5t*65 + 0.5t*95 = 0.5t*(65+95) = 0.5t*160 = 80t  kilometers.


Half the distance is 40t kilometers.


When driving back (from C to N),  the total driving time is  T =  +   hours.       (1)


The average speed driving back is the total distance  80t  divided by the total time of the formula (1), i.e.


     =  =  = 77.1875 kilometers per hour.    ANSWER

Solved.

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Is everything clear to you in my solution ?

When you complete read it, do not forget to post your "THANKS" to me for my teaching.


///////////////

For the problem,  it does not matter,  who is the driver:  "biology teacher",  or carpenter,  or sales manager,  or astronaut,
or vice-president,  or anybody else.

Therefore,  naming his  (or her)  specialty is  IRRELEVANT  to the problem.

I know that  80%  of problems in  US  Math textbooks are formulated this way.

It is  NOT  an argument that they all are correct;  they all are WRONG.

They teach young students to think incorrectly,   and,  in addition,  they treat the students inadequately . . .


As a result,  when such a student sees the words  "vice-president"  instead of  "biology teacher",
he  (or she)  thinks that it is another problem . . .



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