SOLUTION: Two cars left at an intersection at the same time, one heading north and the other heading west. Later they were exactly 95 miles apart. The car heading west had gone 38 miles less
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Question 548855: Two cars left at an intersection at the same time, one heading north and the other heading west. Later they were exactly 95 miles apart. The car heading west had gone 38 miles less than twice as far as the car headed north. How far has each car traveleld?
Answer by mananth(16946) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
This is a problem where pythagoras theorem has to be applied
at any given time the cars are travelling at right angles to each other
north bound has traveled x miles
west bound car traveled 2x-38miles
leg1^2+leg2^2=hypotenuse ^2
x^2+(2x-38)^2=95^2
x^2+4x^2-152x+1444=9025
5x^2-152x-7581=0
Find the roots of the equation by quadratic formula
a= 5 , b= -152 , c= -7581
b^2-4ac= 23104 + 151620
b^2-4ac= 174724
x1=( 152 + 418 )/ 10
x1= 57.00
x2=( 152 -418 ) / 10
x2= -26.60
Ignore negative value
57 miles north bound car
west bound car = 2*57-38=76 miles
m.ananth@hotmail.ca
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