Problema Solution
A cyclist rode the first 26-mile portion of his workout at a constant speed. For the 18-mile cooldown portion of his workout, he reduced his speed by 4 miles per hour. each portion of the workout took the same time. Find the cyclist's speed during each portion of the workout.
Answer provided by our tutors
let
v = the speed for the first 26-mile portion, v>0
v - 4 = the speed for the 18-mile cool-down portion, v - 4 >= 0 or v >= 4
t = the time that each workout took
since distance = speed*time we have
v*t = 26 divide both sides by v
t = 26/v
(v - 4)t = 18
plug t = 26/v into the last equation:
(v - 4)(26/v) = 18
by solving we find:
v = 13 mph
click here to see the step by step solution of the equation:
v - 4 = 13 - 4 = 9 mph
the speed of the cyclist during the first 26-mile portion of his workout was 13 mph.
the speed of the cyclist during the 18-mile cool down portion of his workout was 9 mph.