SOLUTION: If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 420 miles per hour against the wind, find the speed of the plane in still air.

Question 540909: If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 420 miles per hour against the wind, find the speed of the plane in still air.
Answer by Theo(13342) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
p = speed of plane
w = speed of wind
p + w = 500 mph (traveling with the wind)
p - w = 420 mph (travfeling against the wind)
add these 2 equations together and you get:
2p = 920
divide both sides by 2 to get:
p = 460 mph.
this means that w = 40 mph.
with the wind, the speed is 460 mph for the plane plus 40 mph for the wind which equals a total of 500 mph.
against the wind, the speed is 460 mph for the plane minus 40 mph for the wind which equals a total of 420 mph.
number check out.
your answer is:
speed of the plane is 460 mph.
speed of the wind is 40 mph.
RELATED QUESTIONS
If a train can travel 480 miles per hour with the wind at 420 miles per hour against the... (answered by Alan3354)

Question: If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 420 miles per hour... (answered by lwsshak3,Alan3354)

If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 420 miles per hour against... (answered by stanbon)

If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 400 miles per hour against the (answered by ikleyn)

If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 440 miles per hour against the (answered by ramkikk66)

If a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 440 miles per hour against the (answered by Alan3354)

if a plane can travel 510 miles per hour with the wind and 410 miles per hour against the (answered by lwsshak3)

If a plane can travel 380 miles per hour with the wind and only 280 miles per hour... (answered by Maths68)

if a plane can travel 500 mkiles per hour with the wind and 400 miles per hour against... (answered by jorel1380)