SOLUTION: I am having a difficult time with this word problem and I don't know where to start:Two cyclists, 144 mi apart, start riding towards each other at the same time. One cycles twice a
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Question 990832: I am having a difficult time with this word problem and I don't know where to start:Two cyclists, 144 mi apart, start riding towards each other at the same time. One cycles twice as fast as the other. If they meet 3 hr later, at what average speed is each cyclist traveling? Found 2 solutions by ikleyn, MathTherapy:Answer by ikleyn(52803) (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! .
Let x be the speed of the slower cyclist.
Then the speed of the faster cyclist is 2x.
For 3 hours the first cyclist covered the distance of 3x, while the second cyclist covered 3*2x = 6x.
The sum of these distances is exactly 144 miles. Precisely.
It gives the equation
3x + 6x = 144.
Solve it:
9x = 144,
x = = 16.
Answer. The speed of the slower cyclist is 16 miles per hour. The speed of the second cyclist is 2*16 = 32 miles per hour.
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
I am having a difficult time with this word problem and I don't know where to start:Two cyclists, 144 mi apart, start riding towards each other at the same time. One cycles twice as fast as the other. If they meet 3 hr later, at what average speed is each cyclist traveling?
Let the slower cyclist's speed be S
Then the faster cyclist's speed = 2S
When they meet in 3 hours, both would've traveled a total of 144 miles
Therefore we get: 3(S) + 3(2S) = 144
3S + 6S = 144
9S = 144
S, or speed of slower cyclist = , or mph
Speed of faster cyclist: 2(16), or mph
