Problema Solution

Two surveyors with two-way radios leave the same point at 9:00 A.M., one walking due south at 3 mi/hr and the other due west at 1 mi/hr . How long can they communicate with one another if each radio has a maximum range of 8 miles? (Round to the nearest minute.)

Answer provided by our tutors

Let 'd' stand for the distance of surveyor 1 and '8-d' stand for the distance walked of surveyor 2. Using d=rt (distance=rate*time), we can write:

Surveyor 1:

d=(3)t


Surveyor 2:

(8-d)=(1)t


Using Algebrator to solve for d and t, we get:

d=6miles

t=2hrs


They can communicate with one another until 11am.