SOLUTION: A plane can fly 260 miles downwind in the same amount of time as it can travel 170 miles upwind. Find the velocity of the wind if the plane can fly 215 mph in still air.
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Question 576320: A plane can fly 260 miles downwind in the same amount of time as it can travel 170 miles upwind. Find the velocity of the wind if the plane can fly 215 mph in still air. Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source):
You can't find the velocity (a vector quantity) of the wind because you have no way to determine the direction of the wind. From the information given you can only calculate the scalar value of wind speed. Flying downwind ground speed is still air speed PLUS wind speed. Flying upwind ground speed is still air speed MINUS wind speed.
Distance equals rate times time, so time is equal to distance divided by rate.
The time to fly 260 miles downwind is then:
And the time to fly 170 miles upwind is:
Since we are given that the two times are equal:
Solve for
John
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
