Final answer:
To find the distance, we can use the formula: Distance = Speed x Time. Let's solve for the distance using the given information about the boat's speed in still water and the speed of the current.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the distance, we can use the formula:
Distance = Speed x Time
Let's first find the time it takes for the boat to travel upstream:
Speed of boat in still water = 9 km/h
Speed of current = 3 km/h
Relative speed of boat while traveling upstream = Speed of boat in still water - Speed of current = 9 km/h - 3 km/h = 6 km/h
Time taken to travel upstream = Distance / Relative speed of boat while traveling upstream = Distance / 6 km/h
We can use the fact that the boat takes a total of 3 hours to travel upstream and downstream:
Time taken to travel downstream = 3 hours - Time taken to travel upstream
Using the above two equations, we can solve for the distance:
Distance = Speed of boat in still water x Time taken to travel downstream = 9 km/h x (3 hours - Time taken to travel upstream)