SOLUTION: A canoe took 3 hours to travel up stream and 2 hours to travel the same distance down stream. If the distance was 12 miles each way, what was the speed of the current?

Question 935985: A canoe took 3 hours to travel up stream and 2 hours to travel the same distance down stream. If the distance was 12 miles each way, what was the speed of the current?
Found 2 solutions by josgarithmetic, MathTherapy:
Answer by josgarithmetic(39620) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
This table of data implies the variables.

________________rate___________time__________distance
UPSTREAM________r-s____________u_____________d
BACK____________r+s____________v_____________d

KNOWN: u,v,d.
Rule for uniform travel rates, RT=D rate time distance.

, and ;
Those are two linear equations in the two unknown variables, r and s.

Solve for r and s, and then substitute u=3, v=2, d=12.
Answer by MathTherapy(10552) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

A canoe took 3 hours to travel up stream and 2 hours to travel the same distance down stream. If the distance was 12 miles each way, what was the speed of the current?

Let speed in still water be S, and speed of current, C
Then upstream equation is: ________S - C = 4 ------ eq (i)
Also, downstream equation is: _____S + C = 6 ------ eq (ii)
2S = 10 ------ Adding eqs (i) & (ii)
S, or speed of canoe, in still water = , or 5 mph
5 � C = 4 ------- Substituting 5 for S in eq (i)
� C = 4 � 5
� C = � 1
C, or speed of current = , or mph
You can do the check!!
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