Question

James rides his bicycle every Sunday morning. First, he pedals uphill at a speed of 4 miles per hour. Then he rides downhill at a speed of 6 miles per hour. He covers a distance of 18 miles in 4 hours.

Write a linear equation for the distance pedaled, d miles

Answer 1

Because the question asks for total distance pedaled, we can set up the following equations:


`x + y = 4`

`4x + 6y = 18`

x represents the amount of hours James spent pedaling uphill.
y represents the amount of hours James spent pedaling downhill.
4 represents the miles per hour James goes while pedaling uphill.
6 represents the miles per house James goes while pedaling downhill.