Problema Solution
a man rowed 8 miles up in a river in 2 hours and back in 1 hour.what was the rate of the man rowing in still water?
Answer provided by our tutors
let
m = the rate of the man in still water
w = the rate of the current
d = 8 miles
t1 = 2 h the time of the trip up
t2 = 1 h the time of the trip back
since speed = distance/time => distance = speed*time
rowing up the speed of the boat will be m - w
(m - w)*t1 = d
(m - w)*2 = 8 divide both sides by 2
m - w = 4
rowing down the speed of the boat will be m + w
(m + w)*t2 = d
(m + w)*1 = 8
m + w = 8
by solving the system of equations
m - w = 4
m + w = 8
we find
m = 6 mph
w = 2 mph
click here to see the step by step solution of the system of equations
the rate of the man rowing in still water was 6 miles per hour.