Problema Solution

On the Mississippi river, a steamboat can travel 39 miles downstream in the same time it can travel 24 miles up stream. If the speed of the current of the Mississippi rivver is 5 mph, then how fast is the steamboat? Show all five problem solving steps

Answer provided by our tutors

speed down = 39/t

speed up = 24/t

let speed of boat = s

 also 39/t = 5+s   (1)

24/t =  s-5        (2)

divide 1 and 2 solving eqns we get t= 1.5 hour

so speed "s" of boat = 21 mph