SOLUTION: a boat trip trip 10 miles down a river takes you 1 hour and 15 minutes but it takes 4 hours to return.... whats the speed of the boat in still water and the speed of the current
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Question 589266: a boat trip trip 10 miles down a river takes you 1 hour and 15 minutes but it takes 4 hours to return.... whats the speed of the boat in still water and the speed of the current Answer by solver91311(24713) (Show Source):
Use distance equals rate times time, from which you can derive rate equals distance divided by time.
To go downstream it takes 1.25 (1 hour 15 minutes is 1 and 1 quarter hour) hours to go 10 miles. 10 divided by 1.25 is 8, so the rate of the boat in still water PLUS the rate of the current is 8 miles per hour.
To go upstream it takes 4 hours to go 10 miles. 10 divided by 4 is 2.5, so the rate of the boat in still water MINUS the rate of the current is 2.5 miles per hour.
Set up your 2X2 system of equations:
Use the elimination method to solve for
John
My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it
