Final answer:
The current of the river is 2 m/s. When the boat moves upstream, its speed is reduced by the speed of the current. So, we can write the equation as: 8 m/s = Speed of Boat - Speed of Current
Step-by-step explanation:
The speed of the motorboat can be calculated using the formula:
Speed = Speed of Boat + Speed of Current
When the boat moves upstream, its speed is reduced by the speed of the current. So, we can write the equation as:
8 m/s = Speed of Boat - Speed of Current
When the boat moves downstream, its speed is increased by the speed of the current. So, we can write the equation as:
12 m/s = Speed of Boat + Speed of Current
Now, we need to solve these two equations to find the speed of the current. Subtracting the first equation from the second equation, we get:
12 m/s - 8 m/s = 2 * Speed of Current
4 m/s = 2 * Speed of Current
Speed of Current = 4 m/s / 2 = 2 m/s
Therefore, the current of the river is 2 m/s.