Question

Two planes, which are 1880 miles apart, fly toward each other. Their speeds differ by 40mph. If they pass each other in 2 hours, what is the speed of each?

Answer 1

We will have the following:

From the information provided we determine that:

Total distance: 1880 mi

Plane speed: x

Plane 1 speed: x + 40mph

Time: 2 h

We recall that distance is given by:

`d=s\ast t`

Where "s" is speed and "t" is time. Then:

`\begin{gathered} (x+60)(2)+(x)(2)=1880\Rightarrow2x+120+2x=1880 \\ \\ \Rightarrow4x=1760\Rightarrow x=440 \end{gathered}`

So, plane 1 travels at 480 mph and plane 2 travels at 440 mph.