Problema Solution
Meg rowed her boat a distance of 60 mi and then rowed back to the starting point. The total time of the trip was 16 hours. If the rate of the current was 2mph, find the average speed of the boat relative to the water
Answer provided by our tutors
let
d = 60 mi
t = 16 hr
c = 2 mph the rate of the current
v = the average speed of the boat relative to the water, v>0
the rate of the boat going with the current is: v + c = v + 2
the rate of the boat going against the current is: v - c = v - 2
since average speed = distance/time => time = distance/avg.speed we have
d/(v + c) + d/(v - c) = t
60/(v + 2) + 60/(v - 2) = 16
by solving we find
v = 8 mph
click here to see the step by step solution of the equation
the average speed of the boat relative to the water is 8 mph.