SOLUTION: A motorboat travels 300 mi in 6 hours going upstream. It travels 456 mi going downstream in the same amount of time. What is the rate of the boat in still water and what is the rat

Question 874839: A motorboat travels 300 mi in 6 hours going upstream. It travels 456 mi going downstream in the same amount of time. What is the rate of the boat in still water and what is the rate of the current?
Answer by mananth(16946) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
300 / ( x - y )= 6
6 ( x - y ) = 4
6 x - 6 y = 300 ....................1

456 / ( x + y )= 4
4 ( x + y ) = 456
4 x + 4 y = 456 ...............2
Multiply (1) by 2
Multiply (2) by 3
we get
12 x + -12 y = 600
12 x + 12 y = 1,368
24 x = 1,968
/ 24
x = 82 mph

plug value of x in (1) y
6 x -6 y = 300
492 -6 -492 = 300
-6 y = 300
-6 y = -192 mph
y = 32
boat speed 82 mph
current speed 32 mph

RELATED QUESTIONS
A motorboat travels 300 mi in 6 hours going upstream. It travels 456 mi going downstream... (answered by josgarithmetic)

A motorboat travels 385 mi in 7 hours going upstream. It travels 623 mi going downstream... (answered by oberobic)

A motorboat travels145 mi in 5 hours going upstream. It travels 215 going downstream in (answered by josgarithmetic)

A motorboat travels 306km in 6 hours going upstream. It travels 414km going... (answered by stanbon)

A motorboat travels 156 kilometers in 6 hours going upstream. It travels 252 kilometers... (answered by greenestamps,josgarithmetic)

a motorboat travels 217 miles in 7 hours It travels 343 mi going downstream in the same... (answered by lwsshak3)

A motorboat travels 756 mi in 9 hours going upstream and 684 mi in 6 hours going... (answered by stanbon,lwsshak3)

A motorboat travels 198 km in 6 hours going upstream. It ravels 294 km going downstream... (answered by josgarithmetic)

A motorboat travels in hours going upstream. It travels going downstream in the same... (answered by checkley79)