Question 1200510
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The two responses you have received until now both show a rather standard formal algebraic method for solving the problem.<br>
Here is an alternative method that can be useful if the given information is in this particular form.<br>
The distances are the same, and the ratio of the upstream and downstream times is 35:33, so the ratio of the upstream and downstream speeds is 33:35.<br>
If the speed of the current is c, then the upstream and downstream speeds are 34-c and 34+c, so we have the proportion<br>
{{{(34-c)/(34+c)=33/35}}}<br>
That can be solved by inspection -- the speed of the current is c = 1.<br>
ANSWER: The speed of the current is 1 mph<br>