SOLUTION: Please help me solve this word problem: A man drove his car 132 miles before the water pump broke. Then the car was pushed 1 mile to a gas station. THe man could drive the car 12 t
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Question 696486: Please help me solve this word problem: A man drove his car 132 miles before the water pump broke. Then the car was pushed 1 mile to a gas station. THe man could drive the car 12 times faster than it could be pushed. If the total trip took 3 hours, find how fast the car was pushed.
I must incorporate the formula r=d/t
Which out of the variables r,d,t are equal? It seems as though it is the d variable because the car could be pushed 1 mile or driven 1 mile. I do not understand how to set up this equation using rationals. Answer by ankor@dixie-net.com(22740) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! A man drove his car 132 miles before the water pump broke.
Then the car was pushed 1 mile to a gas station.
THe man could drive the car 12 times faster than it could be pushed.
If the total trip took 3 hours, find how fast the car was pushed.
:
let r = the speed the car can be pushed
then
12r = the speed the car is driven
:
Write a time equation; time = dist/rate (t = d/r)
:
Drive time + push time = 3 hrs + = 3
multiply by 12r to clear the denominators, results:
132 + 12(1) = 12r(3)
144 = 36r
r = 144/36
r = 4 mph is the pushing speed
:
:
See if that checks out; find the time of each
Drove:132/(12*4) = 2.75 hrs
Pushed: 1/4 = .25 hrs
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total time = 3 hrs
:
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Did all this make sense to you?
