SOLUTION: The boat could go 104 miles downstream in the same time it took to go 56 miles upstream. If the speed of the boat was 20 mph in still water, What was the speed of the current?

Question 147172: The boat could go 104 miles downstream in the same time it took to go 56 miles upstream. If the speed of the boat was 20 mph in still water, What was the speed of the current?
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Start with the distance-rate-time formula.

Plug in and . Let's call this equation 1.

Divide both sides by to isolate t

So

Go back to the distance-rate-time formula

Plug in and . Let's call this equation 2.

Plug in

Multiply both sides by

Distribute.

Subtract from both sides.

Add to both sides.

Combine like terms on the left side.

Combine like terms on the right side.

Divide both sides by to isolate .

Reduce.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Answer:

So the answer is

This means that the speed of the river is 6 mph
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