document.write( "Question 180490: 4. The Hudson River flows at a rate of 5 miles per hour. A patrol boat travels 40 miles upriver, and returns in a total time of 6 hours. What is the speed of the boat in still water? \n" ); document.write( "
Algebra.Com's Answer #135261 by solver91311(24713)![]() ![]() You can put this solution on YOUR website! \r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "This is a distance, rate, and time problem, so the basic formula to use is \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "We are asked to find the rate of the boat in still water, so let's call that \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Now let's use the formula, \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "And the downstream trip:\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "First, solve the downstream equation for t:\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "And simplify the result:\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Next if you compare the simplified form of the downstream equation with the upstream equation, you will notice that we have two different expressions in \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Put everything on the left and apply the common denominator \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Multiply by \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Apply the distributive property and collect terms:\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Multiply by \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Factor:\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Therefore \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "The negative answer is absurd because we know the boat wasn't going backwards, so exclude that answer as an extraneous root introduced by the action of squaring the variable during the solution process, and that leaves us with \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "Check the answer.\r \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "If the speed in still water is 15 mph, then the upstream speed must have been 15 - 5 = 10 mph. At 10 mph, it takes \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( "John \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( " |