SOLUTION: On a recent flight from Buffalo to Miami, a distance of 1280 miles, the plane arrived 8 minutes early. On leaving the aircraft, I asked the captain, “What was our tail wind?” He r

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Question 1009622: On a recent flight from Buffalo to Miami, a distance of 1280 miles, the plane arrived 8 minutes early. On leaving the aircraft, I asked the captain, “What was our tail wind?” He replied, “I don’t know, but our ground speed was 640 miles per hour.” How can you determine is enough information is provided to find the tail wind? If possible, find the tail wind.
Answer by josmiceli(19441) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Let +w+ = tail wind in mi/hr
Let +s+ = the plane's speed in still air
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+s+%2B+w+=+640+
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For this trip:
+1280+=+640t+
+t+=+2+ hrs
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I'm not sure, but I think that the fact the plane
arrived 8 min early accounts for the tail wind
If so:
+1280+=+s%2A%28+2+%2B+8%2F60+%29+ ( more time without the tail wind )
+s+=+1280%2F2.1333+
+s+=+600+
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+s+%2B+w+=+640+
+600+%2B+w+=+640+
+w+=+40+
The wind speed is 40 mi/hr