SOLUTION: An airplane flew for 3 hours with a tail wind of 18 kilometers per hour. The return flight against the wind took 4 hours. Find the rate of the plane in still air.

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Question 423288: An airplane flew for 3 hours with a tail wind of 18 kilometers per hour. The return flight against the wind took 4 hours. Find the rate of the plane in still air.
Found 4 solutions by mananth, ikleyn, greenestamps, josgarithmetic:
Answer by mananth(16949) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
plane speed =x mph
wind speed 18 mph
time with tail wind 3 hours
time against wind 4 hours
Distance = same
8(x+18) =4(x-18)
8x +144 =4x-72
4x-8x=144-72
x =216 mph plane speed


Answer by ikleyn(53427) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
.
An airplane flew for 3 hours with a tail wind of 18 kilometers per hour.
The return flight against the wind took 4 hours. Find the rate of the plane in still air.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


        The solution in the post by @mananth is irrelevant and inadequate to the problem.
        I came to bring a correct solution.


Let x be the rate of the airplane in still air.

Then the rate of the airplane flying with    the wind is (x+18) km/h;

     the rate of the airplane flying against the wind is (x-18) km/h.


Write the distance equation, saying that the distance is the same with the wind
and against the wind

    3(x+18) = 4(x-18)  kilometers.


Simplify this equation and find x

    3x + 54 = 4x - 72,

    54 + 72 = 4x - 3x,

       126  =    x.


?ANSWER.  The rate of the airplane in still air is 126 km/h.

Solved correctly.



Answer by greenestamps(13258) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


The distances are the same, and the ratio of the times in the two directions is 3:4; that means the ratio of the speeds in the two directions is 4:3.

If the plane's speed in still air is x, then the speed with the wind is x+18 and the speed against the wind is x-18:

%28x%2B18%29%2F%28x-18%29=4%2F3
4%28x-18%29=3%28x%2B18%29
4x-72=3x%2B54
x=126

ANSWER: 126 km/h


Answer by josgarithmetic(39702) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
r, how fast if no wind

%28r%2B18%29%283%29 distance one way
%28r-18%29%284%29 distance going back

3%28r%2B18%29=4%28r-18%29
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