SOLUTION: If I drive 60 mph and arrive 4 minutes late how fast do I have to drive to arrive on time?

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Question 1189686: If I drive 60 mph and arrive 4 minutes late how fast do I have to drive to arrive on time?

Found 3 solutions by ikleyn, ankor@dixie-net.com, Theo:
Answer by ikleyn(52832) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.

As worded, printed, posted and presented, this post is incomplete.

It missed some essential part of information, and in this form the problem can not be solved.

As I understand, you heard somewhere about this class of problems and try to invent / (to compose) on your own,
but have no enough knowledge to do it correctly.


///////////////


At this forum,  I teach how to solve problems,  but  I  DO  NOT  TEACH  how to create them - - -

- - - because skills to compose require,  as a pre-requisite,  knowledge on solving problems,  which you do not have.


It is the same as in music :  you can not compose for piano,  if you can not play piano . . .



Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
If I drive 60 mph and arrive 4 minutes late how fast do I have to drive to arrive on time?
:
I think you have to know what the distance that you drove in order to get a unique answer.
A simple example: you drove 60 mi in 1 hr (60 min) and arrived 4 min late
You want to drive the 60 mi in 56 min
let s = the required speed to accomplish this
60%2Fs = 56%2F60
cross multiply
56s = 3600
s = 3600/56
s = 64.3 mph
:
let's say the distance was 120 mi, driving time would be 120 min which is still 4 min late, so you want to do the trip in 116 min
120%2Fs = 116%2F60
s = 7200/116
s = 62.07 mph

Answer by Theo(13342) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
rate * time = distance.
let r = rate
let t = time
let d = distance

when rate = 60 and time = t + 4/60 and distance = d, the formula becomes:
60 * (t + 4/60) = d
since the time is in hours, then 4 minutes late is 4/60 hours late.
that's why the time is equal to (t + 4/60).
simplify this to get:
60t + 60*4/60 = d
simplify further to get:
60t + 4 = d
solve for t to get:
t = (d-4)/60

go back to your basic formula of rate * time = distance
when rate = r and time = (d-4)/60 and distance = d, you get:
r * (d-4)/60 = d
solve for r to get:
r = 60d / (d-4)

you have one equation with two unknowns.
you will not be able to solve this for a unique value.
the best you can do is solve for the rate in terms of the distance.
you will get a different rate, depending on the distance.

if the distance is 10 miles, then the formula becomes:
r = 60 * 10 / 6
solve for r to get:
r = 100 miles per hours.

if the distance is 50 miles, then the formula becomes:
r = 60 * 50 / 46
solve for r to get:
r = 65.2173913 miles per hour.

if the distance is 100 miles, then the formula becomes:
r = 60 * 100 / 96
solve for r to get:
r = 62.5 miles per hour.

if the distance is 200 miles, then the formula becomes:
r = 60 * 200 / 196
solve for r to get:
r = 61.2244898 miles per hour.

if the distance is 300 miles, then the formula becomes:
r = 60 * 300 / 296
solve for r to get:
r = 60.81081081

if the distance is 400 miles, then the formula becomes:
r = 60 * 400 / 396
solve for r to get:
r = 60.60606061.

the equation can be graphed as shown below:



in the graph, y takes the place of r and x takes the place of d.

the coordinate points are in (x,y) format.
x is the distance
y is the rate

let me know if you have any questions.
theo