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two bicyclists started biking toward each other when they were 88 miles apart. three hours later there were 4 miles left between them. how fast was each bicyclist going if one of them was 4 mph slower than the other?

2 Answers

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29.3 mph because the first bicyclist went 88 miles while the second went only 84 at 28 mph
User EscapeArtist
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3 votes

Alright, lets get started.

Suppose first bicyclist speed is = x mph

As given in question, second one is 4 mph slower than first, hence

Speed of second bicyclist is = (x-4) mph

They both travels 3 hrs so,

distance covered by first bicyclist :


distance = speed* time


d1 = 3x

distance covered by second bicyclist :


d2= 3 (x-4)

4 miles were still left after 3 hrs of driving.

It means they covered 88 - 4 = 84 miles together


d1 + d2 = 84


3x + 3 (x-4) = 84


3x + 3x - 12 = 84

Adding 12 in both sides


6x - 12 + 12 = 84 + 12


6x = 96

Dividing 6 in both sides


(6x)/(6)= (96)/(6)


x = 16

Means speed of first bicyclist = 16 mph

Speed of second bicyclist =
16 - 4 = 12 mph

Hence speed of both bicyclist are 16 mph and 12 mph. : Answer

Hope it will help :)


User OregonJeff
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