SOLUTION: Two cars leave towns 540 kilometers apart at the same time and travel toward each other. One car's rate is 16 kilometers per hour more than the other's. If they meet in 3 hours, w
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Question 505988: Two cars leave towns 540 kilometers apart at the same time and travel toward each other. One car's rate is 16 kilometers per hour more than the other's. If they meet in 3 hours, what is the rate of the faster car? Found 2 solutions by solver91311, Gogonati:Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source):
If together they covered 540 km in 3 hours, then the sum of their speeds has to be 540 divided by 3. If one speed is x and the other is x - 16, then 2x - 16 = 540/3. Solve for x.
John
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
You can put this solution on YOUR website! Let be x km/h the rate of the fastest car, then the rate of the slowest car will be x-16 km/h. The fastest car traveled 3x km and the slowest car traveled 3(x-16) km in the moment that they met each other. Since the distance between towns is
540 km we write the equation:
3x+3(x-16)=540, solving this equation we get x=98 km/h.
Answer: The rate of the fastest car is 98 km/h.
