Answer:
She walks back for 4.2 hours
Explanation:
Notice that we don't know the distance of the race (so let's name it "d").
She clearly would spend less time running (t1) the distance d at 7 mph, than when coming back walking (t2) at 3 mph.
But we know that the addition of both times must be 6 hours which is what she has to spend:
t1 + t2 = 6
Considering the equation that relates distance (D), time(t) , and speed (v) as:
v = D/t
we can solve for the times t1 and t2 in each trip (running vs walking){
t1 = d/7
t2 = d/3
then when we add these two equations term by term, we get:
t1 + t2 = d/7 + d/3
extract d common factor;
t1 + t2 = d (1/7 + 1/3)
replace t1 + t2 with the 6 hours:
6 = d (10/21)
multiply both sides by 21, and divide both sides by 10 to isolate d:
21 * 6 / 10 = d
d = 12.6 miles
Now knowing the distance she run and walked, we can find the time she spent walking back (t2)
t2 = 12.6 /3 = 4.2 hours