Final answer:
To find the distance between the two cities, we can set up and solve equations for the car and the van's speeds and distances traveled. The distance between the cities can be found by solving the equation and substituting back the value of the car's speed.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the distance between the two cities, we can first calculate the difference in time taken by the car and the van to cover the same distance. The car takes 6 hours and the van takes 5.5 hours. The van is 4 km/h faster than the car.
Let's assume the speed of the car is 'x' km/h. This means the speed of the van is 'x + 4' km/h. Using the formula Distance = Speed × Time, we can write two equations:
- For the car: Distance = x km/h × 6 hours
- For the van: Distance = (x + 4) km/h × 5.5 hours
As the distances covered by both vehicles are the same, we can set the two equations equal to each other:
x km/h × 6 hours = (x + 4) km/h × 5.5 hours
Solving this equation will give us the speed of the car, and substituting this value back into one of the equations will give us the distance between the two cities.
Learn more about Speed and distance