SOLUTION: Two fishing boats depart a harbor at the same time, one traveling east, the other south. The eastbound boat travels at a speed 7 mi/h faster than the southbound boat. After four ho

Algebra ->  Equations -> SOLUTION: Two fishing boats depart a harbor at the same time, one traveling east, the other south. The eastbound boat travels at a speed 7 mi/h faster than the southbound boat. After four ho      Log On


   

Question 1121707: Two fishing boats depart a harbor at the same time, one traveling east, the other south. The eastbound boat travels at a speed 7 mi/h faster than the southbound boat. After four hours the boats are
x = 52 mi
apart. Find the speed of the southbound boat.
Found 2 solutions by josgarithmetic, solver91311:
Answer by josgarithmetic(39617) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
SPEEDS
Eastbound, r+7
Southbound, r
52, how far apart

The two boats travel at right angle to one-another.

4%5E2%2A%28r%2B7%29%5E2%2B4%5E2%2Ar%5E2=52%5E2
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Answer by solver91311(24713) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


Let represent the speed of the southbound boat. Then is the speed of the eastbound boat. After 4 hours, the southbound boat will have traveled miles and the eastbound boat will have traveled miles. Now you have a right triangle with legs of and miles and a hypotenuse of 52 miles.

According to Pythagoras, who should be a very old and dear friend of yours by now,



Expand, collect like terms, put into standard form, and solve the quadratic equation for .


John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it