SOLUTION: A six passenger airplane cruises at 180 mph in the calm air. If the plane flies 7 miles with the wind in the same amount of time as it flies 5 miles against the wind, then what is
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Question 329126: A six passenger airplane cruises at 180 mph in the calm air. If the plane flies 7 miles with the wind in the same amount of time as it flies 5 miles against the wind, then what is the wind speed? Answer by galactus(183) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! The trick to these rate roblems is to read them carefully.
Note that it says, "the plane can fly 7 miles with the wind IN THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME as it can fly 5 miles against the wind". By the statement, "in the same amount of time", it tells use we want to solve d=rt for t=d/r and set one time equal to the other.
We are asked to find the wind rate, so we know that r must appear in the equation.
It flies 5 miles against the wind in 5/(180-r) hours.
It flies 7 miles with the wind in 7/(180+r) hours.
The problem says these are equal, so we have:
mph for the wind rate.
