Problema Solution
Lee and Tom drove from their home to Las Vegas, NV at an average speed of 55 miles per hour. They
returned home along the same route at an average speed of 50 miles per hour. If the trip home took 30
minutes longer than the trip to Las Vegas, how long was the trip from Las Vegas to their home?
Answer provided by our tutors
let
t1 = the time from home to Las Vega in hours
t2 = the time of the trip back home in hours
v1 = 55 miles/hour
v2 = 50 miles/hour
the trip home took 30 minutes longer than the trip to Las Vegas
t2 = t1 + 30/60
t2 = t1 + 0.5
since they went back and forth the same route they made the same distance
v1*t1 = V2*t1
55*t1 = 50*t2
by solving the system of equations
t2 = t1 + 0.5
55*t1 = 50*t2
we find
t1 = 5 hours
t2 = 5.5 hours = 5 hours 30 min
the trip back home was 5.5 hours 0r 5 hours and 30 min long.