SOLUTION: Two hikers started from opposite ends of a 29-mile trail. One hiker walked 1.25 mph slower than the other hiker, and they met after 4 hours. How fast did each hiker walk?

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Question 264398: Two hikers started from opposite ends of a 29-mile trail. One hiker walked 1.25 mph slower than the other hiker, and they met after 4 hours. How fast did each hiker walk?
Found 3 solutions by mananth, ikleyn, josgarithmetic:
Answer by mananth(16949) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Two hikers started from opposite ends of a 29-mile trail. One hiker walked 1.25 mph slower than the other hiker, and they met after 4 hours. How fast did each hiker walk?
let one hiker walk at x mph
other hiker's speed = x-1.25
distance traveled by one hiker = 4x
the other walks 29-4x
29-4x /x-1.25 = 4x/x
29-4x= 4x-5
8x= 24
x=3
the other's speed = 1.-1.25 = 1.75mph

Answer by ikleyn(53742) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
Two hikers started from opposite ends of a 29-mile trail. One hiker walked 1.25 mph slower than the other hiker,
and they met after 4 hours. How fast did each hiker walk?
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        The solution and the answer in the post by @mananth both are incorrect.
        The fact that his answer values are incorrect, everybody can check manually.

        Below is my correct solution.


Let x be the rate of the slower hiker, in miles per hour.
Then the rate of the faster hiker is (x+1.25) miles per hour.

Write the total distance equation

        4x + 4*(x+1.25) = 29 miles.

Simplify and find x

        4x + 4x + 4*1.25 = 29,
        8x + 5 = 29,   --->   8x = 29 - 5 = 24,   --->   x = 24/8 = 3.

ANSWER.   The slower hiker rate is 3 mph;   the faster hiker rate is 3+1.25 = 4.25 mph.

CHECK.     4*(3 + 4.25) = 4*7.25 = 29 miles,  the total distance.     ! correct !

Solved correctly.



Answer by josgarithmetic(39790) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
                       SPEED         TIME       DISTANCE

one hiker              r-1.25         4          4(r-1.25)

other hiker             r             4          4r

TOTAL                                             29

highlight_green%284%28r-1.25%29%2B4r=29%29