SOLUTION: Two trains leave a city on parallel tracks, traveling the same direction. The passenger train is going twice as fast as the freight train. After 45 minutes, the trains are 30 miles

Algebra.Com
Question 422533: Two trains leave a city on parallel tracks, traveling the same direction. The passenger train is going twice as fast as the freight train. After 45 minutes, the trains are 30 miles apart. Find the speed of each train.
Answer by Edwin McCravy(20056)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Two trains leave a city on parallel tracks, traveling the same direction. The passenger train is going twice as fast as the freight train. After 45 minutes, the trains are 30 miles apart. Find the speed of each train.

Two ways.  (1) In your head or (2) by algebra:

In your head:
Since the faster train goes twice as fast as the slower 
train, then after 45 minutes, the faster train must be 
twice as far from the station as the slower train, so 
the slower train is 30 miles from the station and 30 
miles from the faster train, which is 60 miles from the
station. So it took the slower train 45 minutes to go 
30 miles, so it could go another 1/3 of 30 or 10 more 
miles in 1/3 of 45 or 15 more minutes.  So it could go 
40 miles in one hour, and the faster train could go 80
miles in one hour. So their speeds are 40 mph and 80 mph.

By algebra:

Make this chart:

              Rate     Time    Distance
Fast train   
Slow train   

Let x = the slow train's rate and 2x = the fast train's rate.
Fill those in

              Rate     Time    Distance
Fast train    2x      
Slow train     x     

Esch went for 45 minutes after leaving the station.  Since
45 minutes is 3/4 hour, we put 3/4 for both times.

              Rate     Time    Distance
Fast train    2x       3/4      
Slow train     x       3/4      

Then we use Distance = Rate × time to fill in the Distances

              Rate     Time    Distance
Fast train    2x       3/4      (6/4)x
Slow train     x       3/4      (3/4)x

To make the equation:

Fast train's distance = Slow train's distance + 30

             (6/4)x - (3/4)x = 30
                      
                      (3/4)x = 30

Multiply both sides by 4

                          3x = 120

                           x = 40

So the slower train is going 40 mph and the faster
train is going twice that speed or 80 mph.

Edwin

RELATED QUESTIONS

Two trains leave a city on parallel tracks,traveling the same direction. The passenger... (answered by josmiceli)
Two trains are lewaving a city on parallel tracks, travelling in the same direction. The... (answered by Alan3354)
How do I solve the following: A freight train leaves the train station 2 hours before... (answered by stanbon,Edwin McCravy)
a freight train leaves the train station 1 hour before a passenger train. The two trains... (answered by ankor@dixie-net.com)
A freight train leaves the train station 4 hours before a passenger train. The two... (answered by josmiceli)
A freight train leaves the train station 2 hours before a passenger train. the two trains (answered by ankor@dixie-net.com)
a freight train leaves the station 2 hours before a passenger train. There are two trains (answered by mananth,angelchristian16)
A passenger train leaves Norfolk, Virginia, 1.2 hours after a freight train leaves. The... (answered by Fombitz)
A passenger train leaves Norfolk, Virginia, 1.2 hours after a freight train leaves. The... (answered by haileytucki,stanbon)