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A Boeing 747 travels 938 miles from Houston, TX to Chicago, IL, with the wind in 2 hours. The return trip, flying against the wind takes 3 hours. Find the speed of the plane in still air and the speed of the wind.

User Okrutny
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The speed of the plane in still air is 564 mph and the speed of the wind is 187 mph.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the speed of the plane in still air, we can use the concept of relative velocity. Let's assume that the speed of the plane in still air is x mph and the speed of the wind is y mph.

When the plane is flying with the wind, the effective speed of the plane will be x + y mph. We are given that the distance traveled is 938 miles and the time taken is 2 hours. Using the formula distance = speed * time, we can write the equation 938 = (x + y) * 2.

Similarly, when the plane is flying against the wind, the effective speed of the plane will be x - y mph. We are given that the distance traveled is 938 miles and the time taken is 3 hours. Using the same formula, we can write the equation 938 = (x - y) * 3.

Now, we have a system of equations that we can solve to find the values of x and y.

Solving these equations, we find x = 564 and y = 187. Therefore, the speed of the plane in still air is 564 mph and the speed of the wind is 187 mph.

User Lesha
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