Final answer:
The separation rate per hour between two airplanes traveling along the same line at 500 mph and 600 mph respectively is a. 100 mph.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks about the separation rate per hour between two commercial airplanes flying at the same altitude along a straight line but at different speeds. If one plane is traveling at 500 mph and the other at 600 mph, we can determine their separation rate by finding the difference in their speeds, assuming they are moving in the same direction.
Since the speeds are 500 mph and 600 mph, we subtract the slower speed from the faster speed to find the rate at which the distance between them increases:
- 600 mph - 500 mph = 100 mph
So, the separation rate per hour between the two airplanes is 100 mph, which means the distance between them increases by 100 miles for every hour they travel. This scenario is an example of relative velocity in one dimension, where the rate of separation is the relative speed between two objects moving along the same line.