document.write( "Question 957321: On a flight from Chicago to Los Angeles, there was a tailwind (with wind). On the return flight that same day, the airplane was flying into a headwind (against the wind). Suppose an airplane has an average speed of 450 mph in still air and the wind was a constant speed for both flights, what was the speed of the wind if Chicago and Los Angeles are 2015 miles apart and the flights took a combined time of 9 hours. \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #584979 by macston(5194) $\"\"$ $\"About$

You can put this solution on YOUR website!
W=wind speed
\n" ); document.write( " $\"2015mi%2F%28450mph%2BW%29%2B2015mi%2F%28450mph-W%29=9hrs\"$ Multiply by (450mph-W)(450mph+W)
\n" ); document.write( " $\"2015mi%28450mph-W%29%2B2015%28450mph%2BW%29=9hrs%28450mph-W%29%28450mph%2BW%29\"$
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\n" ); document.write( " $\"1813500%28mi%5E2%2Fhr%29=1822500%28mi%5E2%2Fhr%5E2%29-9W%5E2\"$ Add 9W^2-1813500mi^2hr^2 to each side.
\n" ); document.write( " $\"9W%5E2=%289000%29%28mi%5E2%2Fhr%5E2%29\"$ Divide each side by 9.
\n" ); document.write( " $\"W%5E2=%281000%29%28mi%5E2%2Fhr%5E2%29\"$ Find square root of each side.
\n" ); document.write( " $\"W=31.62mph\"$ ANSWER: The wind speed was 31.62 miles per hour.
\n" ); document.write( "CHECK:
\n" ); document.write( " $\"2015mi%2F%28450mph-31.62mph%29%2B2015mi%2F%28450mph%2B31.62mph%29=9hrs\"$
\n" ); document.write( " $\"2015mi%2F418.38mph%2B2015mi%2F481.62mph=9hrs\"$
\n" ); document.write( " $\"4.82hrs%2B4.18hrs=9hrs\"$
\n" ); document.write( " $\"9hrs=9hrs\"$ \r
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