SOLUTION: Jack left school and walked home down Snakey Lane. His father left home at the same time and walked up Snakey Lane. If his father is walking twice as fast as Jack, how far will h

Algebra ->  Numeric Fractions Calculators, Lesson and Practice -> SOLUTION: Jack left school and walked home down Snakey Lane. His father left home at the same time and walked up Snakey Lane. If his father is walking twice as fast as Jack, how far will h      Log On


   

Question 350506: Jack left school and walked home down Snakey Lane. His father left home at the same time and walked up Snakey Lane. If his father is walking twice as fast as Jack, how far will he walk before they meet. The distance between Jacks house and the school, on Skakey Lane, is 2 miles.
Answer by jjordan95(63) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
You can create an algebraic expression out of this to solve for the distance.
Jack = J
Jack's father = 2J (He walks at 2 times the speed of Jack)
J%2B2J=2 miles <--- Original
3J=2 miles <--- Simplify
J=2%2F3 of a mile <--- Solve for Jack's speed
Therefore, Jack's distance is 2%2F3 of a mile
Based on the original equation,
2J=2-J <--- By moving Jacks distance to the right side, you can now solve for his father's distance
2J=2-%282%2F3%29 <---Plug in Jack's distance
2J=%286%2F3%29-%282%2F3%29 <-- Common denominators
2J=+4%2F3 <--- Answer
Therefore, the distance Jack's father walks is 4%2F3 of a mile.