Question 80106
Sam paddles his canoe upstream, AGAINST the current, for 12 miles. It takes him 2 hours. Coming back downstream, WITH the current, he covers the same distance in only an hour. How fast can Sam paddle his canoe in still water? How fast is the current?
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Let the current speed be "c"
Let the boat speed be "b"
Speed = distance/time
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EQUATIONS:
b-c=12/2
b+c=12/1
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b-c=6
b+c=12
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Add the two equations to get:
2b=18
b=9 mph (speed of the boat in still water)
Then, b+c=12; c=3 mph (speed of the current)
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Cheers,
Stan H.