Question

Two small planes leave Sacramento and LA, which are 380 miles apart, and travel toward each other. If one plane travels 30 miles per hour faster than the other one and they meet in an hour, what are their respective speeds?

Answer 1

The faster plane is 205 and the slower plane is 175.

Explanation:

Okay, so if the faster plane is 30 mph faster, then the slower plane can be x and the faster one is x+30.

Slower = x

Faster = x + 30

If both of the speeds combined is 380 miles we now have enough information to make an equation!

(x+30) + x = 380

2x + 30 = 380

2x = 380-30

2x = 350

x = 350 / 2

x = 175

Now we know the slower plane's speed is 175. If the faster plane's speed is 30 more, simply do...

175+30 = 205

Therefore, the slower one is 175 mph and the faster one is 205 mph!

Hope this helped :)

Answer 2

The sum of their speeds is 380 miles per hour. The difference of their speeds is 30 miles per hour. Then the faster plane is traveling at
.. (380 +30)/2 = 205 miles per hour

The slower plane's speed is 30 miles per hour less, so it is traveling at
.. 205 mph -30 mph = 175 miles per hour