Problema Solution
Two buses leave Denver at the same time, one traveling west at an average of 52 miles per hour and the other traveling north at an average of 39 miles per hour. When will they be 390 miles apart?
Answer provided by our tutors
To solve this problem we will use the Pythagorean Theorem since the buses paths are legs of a right triangle.
v1 = 52 mph the speed of the bus traveling west
v2 = 39 mph the speed of the bus traveling north
t = the time of the travel
d = 390 mi the distance between the buses (the hypotenuse of the right triangle)
Since distance = speed*time we have:
(v1*t)^2 + (v2*t)^2 = d^2
(52t)^2 + (39t)^2 = 390^2
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click here to see the equation solved for t
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t = 6 hr
After 6 hours the buses will be 390 miles apart.