Question 880715: I need help finding the equation for this word problem.
Meredith drove at an average speed of 55 mi/h from her home in Kansas City to visit her sister in Pittsburg. She stayed in Pittsburg 15 hours, and on the trip back averaged 50 mi/h. She returned home 46 hours after leaving. How many miles is Kansas City from Pittsburg?
Write an equation using the information as it is given above that can be solved to answer this question. Use t as your variable to represent the amount of time Meredith spent driving from Kansas City to Pittsburg.
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Meredith drove at an average speed of 55 mi/h from her home in Kansas City to visit her sister in Pittsburg.
She stayed in Pittsburg 15 hours, and on the trip back averaged 50 mi/h.
She returned home 46 hours after leaving.
How many miles is Kansas City from Pittsburg?
Write an equation using the information as it is given above that can be solved to answer this question.
Use t as your variable to represent the amount of time Meredith spent driving from Kansas City to Pittsburg.
:
Let t = amt of time to drive from K.C to Pitts
:
subtract 15 hrs from the 46 hrs she was gone; 46-15 = 31 hrs travel time
therefore:
(31-t) = amt of time to drive from Pitts back to K.C
;
The distance there and back is the same, write a dist equation; d = speed * time
55t = 50(31-t)
55t = 1550 - 50t
55t + 50t = 1550
105t = 1550
t = 14.76 hr to drive from K.C to Pitts
;
Find the distance
55 * 14.76 = 812 miles
:
Check the distance using the return trip, should be the same
50(31-14.76) = 812 mi also
|
|
|
