Question 1017627
Two hikers,Alan and Ben, are 20.5 miles apart and walking towards each other.
 They meet in 5 hours.
 Find the rate of each hiker if Ben walks 0.3 mph faster than Alan.
;
Let s = Alan walking speed
Ben walks .3 mph faster, therefore
(s+.3) = Ben's speed
:
When they meet, the sum of their travel distances will equal 20.5
:
Write a distance equation: dist = speed * time
5(s + .3) + 5s = 20.5
5s + 1.5 + 5s = 20.5
5s + 5s = 20.5 - 1.5
10s = 19
s = 19/10
s = 1.9 mph is Alan's walking speed
then
1.9 + .3 = 2.2 mph is Ben's
:
:
confirm this solution by finding the sum of their distances
5(1.9) = 9.5 mi
5(2.2) = 11.0
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totals to: 20.5