Question

A cabin cruiser travels 20 miles in the same time that a power boat travels 40 miles. The cruiser travels 5mph slower than the power boat. How do you find the speed of each boat?

Answer 1

We will solve this problem using the formula `s = d/t`, where s is speed, d is distance and t is time.

Explanation:

Rearranging for time we get `t = d/s`. Since in this problem the time is being stated as being equal, we can set up the following equation, were x is the speed of the power boat.

`20/(x - 5) = 40/x`

`20x = 40(x - 5)`

`20x = 40x - 200`

`200 = 20x`

`10 = x`

The powerboat travels at 10 miles per hour and the cabin cruiser travels at 5 miles per hour.

Hopefully this helps!