Problema Solution

The steamship Express Anne was sailing due west at 32 knots and passed the freighter Oregon which was sailing due east at 24 knots. In how many hours after the meeting will the ships be 48 nautical miles apart?

Answer provided by our tutors

the knot is a unit of speed equal to one nautical mile per hour


v1 = 32 knots the average speed of steamship Express Anne


v2 = 24 knots the average speed of freighter Oregon


d = 48 nautical miles


t = the time from the meeting till the ships are 48 nautical miles apart


since the are traveling in opposite directions and distance = speed*time we have:


v1*t + v2*t = d


32t + 24t = 48


by solving we find:


t = 6/7 hr


t = 6*60/7 min


t = 51 min


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after 51 min the ships will be 48 nautical miles apart.