SOLUTION: Two cyclists, 108 miles apart, start riding toward each other at the same time. One cycles 3 times as fast as the other. If they meet 3 hours later, what is the speed (in mi/h) of

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Question 347413: Two cyclists, 108 miles apart, start riding toward each other at the same time. One cycles 3 times as fast as the other. If they meet 3 hours later, what is the speed (in mi/h) of the faster cyclist?
Found 2 solutions by mananth, josmiceli:
Answer by mananth(16946) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
let the speed of 1 be x mph
the other willl be 3x
....
Time = distance / speed
cyclist 1 time = 108/x
cyclist 2 time =108/3x
.....
108/x + 108/3x = 3
324+108 / 3x= 3
432/3x=3
432=9x
x= 432/9
x=48 mph
faster cyclist = 3*48 = 144 mph

Answer by josmiceli(19441) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
If they are cycling towards each other, you can think of one as
being stationary, and the other as moving at the sum of their speeds.
Thinking of the faster one as the one in motion, the equation is
d+=+r%2At
108+=+%28r+%2B+3r%29%2A3
108+=+12r
r+=+9
3r+=+27
The faster cyclist's speed is 27 mi/hr
check:
The slower cyclist:
d%5B1%5D+=+9%2A3
d%5B1%5D+=+27 mi
The faster cyclist:
d%5B2%5D+=+27%2A3
d%5B2%5D+=+81 mi
d%5B1%5D+%2B+d%5B2%5D+=+27+%2B+81
d%5B1%5D+%2B+d%5B2%5D+=+108