Question

Two cyclists 30 miles apart start riding toward each other at the same time. One of the cyclists bikes 2 times faster than the other. If they meet 2 hours later what is the speed (in miles per hour) what is the speed of the faster cyclist?

Write an equation using the information as it is given above to solve the equation.

Use the variable r to represent the slower bicyclist.

What is the speed of the faster bicyclist?

Answer 1

The speed of the faster cyclist is 3 miles per hour.

We can use the information given to set up the following equation:

r + (2r) = (r + 2r) / 2t

Where r is the speed of the slower cyclist, (2*r) is the speed of the faster cyclist, t is the time in hours, and the distance between the two cyclists is (r + 2r) miles.

We can use the given information that the two cyclists meet 2 hours later to solve for r:

r + (2r) = 30 / 22

Simplifying the equation we get:

r + (2*r) = 15

3r = 15

r = 5

We know that the faster cyclist is going 2 times faster than the slower cyclist, so we can use the value of r to find the speed of the faster cyclist:

2r = 25 = 10

So, the speed of the faster cyclist is 10 miles per hour.