SOLUTION: A bicyclist and a hiker leave the same place at the same time and travel in the same direction. The bicyclist travels 3 times as fast as the hiker. At the end of a 3 hours they are

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Question 119816: A bicyclist and a hiker leave the same place at the same time and travel in the same direction. The bicyclist travels 3 times as fast as the hiker. At the end of a 3 hours they are 24 miles apart. How fast does the hiker travel?
Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) About Me  (Show Source):
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A bicyclist and a hiker leave the same place at the same time and travel in the same direction. The bicyclist travels 3 times as fast as the hiker. At the end of a 3 hours they are 24 miles apart. How fast does the hiker travel?
:
Let s = speed of the hiker
then
3s = speed of the cyclist
:
Write a distance equation; Dist = time * speed
:
Cyclist dist - hiker dist = 24 mi
3(3s) - 3s = 24
9s - 3s = 24
6s = 24
s = 24/6
s = 4 mph is the hiker's speed:
:
Check solution by finding the distance each has traveled: (3*4 = 12 mph is cyclist speed)
3*12 = 36 mi
3*4 = 12 mi
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diff = 24 mi