Final answer:
Ralph drove at a speed of 60 mph. To find this, the sum of the distances covered by both drivers was set equal to 250 miles, and the speeds were denoted as R for Ralph and R + 5 mph for Ned.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve how fast Ralph drove if Ned drove 5 mph faster and they ended up 250 miles apart after 2 hours, we need to use the formula for distance which is distance = speed × time. Let's denote Ralph's speed as R and Ned's speed as R + 5 mph. Since they are driving apart from each other, we add their distances together to get the total separation distance after two hours. Therefore, our equation will be:
2R + 2(R + 5) = 250
Expanding this, we get:
2R + 2R + 10 = 250
Combining like terms:
4R = 240
Dividing both sides by 4, we find:
R = 60 mph
Therefore, Ralph drove at 60 mph, which aligns with option D.