SOLUTION: A motorboat can maintain a constant speed of 35 miles per hour relative to the water. The boat makes a trip upstream to a certain point in 36 minutes; the return trip takes 24 minu
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Question 1064437: A motorboat can maintain a constant speed of 35 miles per hour relative to the water. The boat makes a trip upstream to a certain point in 36 minutes; the return trip takes 24 minutes. What is the speed of the current? Answer by Boreal(15235) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! s=35 mph
c is current speed
(35-c)(0.6)=distance gone upstream, since 0.6 of an hour is 36 minutes.
(35+c)(0.4)=distance gone downstream, since 0.4 of an hour is 24 minutes.
These distances are equal.
21-0.6c=14+0.4c
7mph=c ANSWER
28 mph upstream for .6 hour=16.8 miles
42 mph downstream for .4 hour=16.8 miles check
