SOLUTION: I am having a difficult time with this word problem and I don't know where to start:Two cyclists, 144 mi apart, start riding towards each other at the same time. One cycles twice a

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Question 990832: I am having a difficult time with this word problem and I don't know where to start:Two cyclists, 144 mi apart, start riding towards each other at the same time. One cycles twice as fast as the other. If they meet 3 hr later, at what average speed is each cyclist traveling?
Found 2 solutions by ikleyn, MathTherapy:
Answer by ikleyn(52803)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
Let  x  be the speed of the slower cyclist.
Then the speed of the faster cyclist is  2x.
For  3  hours the first cyclist covered the distance of  3x, while the second cyclist covered  3*2x = 6x.

The sum of these distances is exactly  144 miles.  Precisely.

It gives the equation

3x + 6x = 144.

Solve it:

9x = 144,

x = = 16.

Answer.  The speed of the slower cyclist is  16  miles per hour.  The speed of the second cyclist is  2*16 = 32 miles per hour.


Answer by MathTherapy(10552)   (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!

I am having a difficult time with this word problem and I don't know where to start:Two cyclists, 144 mi apart, start riding towards each other at the same time. One cycles twice as fast as the other. If they meet 3 hr later, at what average speed is each cyclist traveling?
Let the slower cyclist's speed be S

Then the faster cyclist's speed = 2S

When they meet in 3 hours, both would've traveled a total of 144 miles

Therefore we get: 3(S) + 3(2S) = 144

3S + 6S = 144

9S = 144

S, or speed of slower cyclist = , or  mph

Speed of faster cyclist: 2(16), or  mph 

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