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The distance between two stations is 300 km. Two motorcyclists start simultaneously from these stations and move towards each other. The speed of one of them is 7 km/h more than that of the other. If the distance between them after 2 hours of their start is 34 km, find the speed of each motorcyclist.

User Eric Holk
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The speed of the first motorcyclist is 65 km/h, and the speed of the second motorcyclist is 58 km/h.

Let's denote the speed of the slower motorcyclist as x km/h. Since the speed of the other motorcyclist is 7 km/h more, the speed of the faster motorcyclist is x+7 km/h.

When two objects are moving towards each other, their relative speed is the sum of their individual speeds. Therefore, the relative speed of the two motorcyclists is x+(x+7)=2x+7 km/h.

After 2 hours, the distance covered by the two motorcyclists is the product of their relative speed and the time they traveled, which is 2(2x+7) km.

The distance between them after 2 hours is given as 34 km. So, we can set up the equation 2(2x+7)=34 and solve for

4x+14=34

4x=20

x=5

Now that we know x, the speed of the slower motorcyclist is 5 km/h, and the speed of the faster motorcyclist is 5+7=12 km/h.

Therefore, the speed of the first motorcyclist is 12 km/h, and the speed of the second motorcyclist is 5 km/h.

User Dhaval Jotaniya
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