Question

Carlos and Maria drove a total of 258 miles in 5 hours. Carlos drove the first part of the trip and averaged 53 miles per hour. Maria drove the remainder of the trip and averaged 51 miles per hour. For approximately how many hours did Maria drive? Round your answer to the nearest tenth if necessary. 1.5 hours 1.8 hours 2.5 hours 3.5 hours

Answer 1

I think the answer is the solution of m=3.5

Answer 2

Maria drove for 3.5 hours.

Explanation:

Carlos and Maria drove a total of 258 miles in 5 hours.

We can write the equation as :

`c+m=5` or
`c=5-m`

where c is the time taken by Carlos and m is the time taken by Maria.

Carlos drove the first part of the trip and averaged 53 miles per hour. Maria drove the remainder of the trip and averaged 51 miles per hour.
`53c+51m=258`

Now substituting the value of c here, we get

`53(5-m)+51m=258`

`265-53m+51m=258`

`-2m=258-265`

`-2m=-7`

So, m = 3.5

Hence, Maria drove for 3.5 hours.