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Pilar is playing with a remote-controlled toy boat. She puts the boat in a lake and it travels 400m at a constant speed. On the way back to Pilar, the boat travels the same route at the same speed for 2 minutes, and then Pilar uses the remote control to increase the boat's speed by 10 m/min. So the return trip is 60 seconds faster. How long does the return trip take?

User Epic Byte
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1 Answer

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Answer:

Therefore, the time for the return trip is:

≈ 5.306 seconds

Explanation:

Let's start by finding the speed of the boat. We know that the boat travels 400m at a constant speed, so we can use the formula:

Speed = Distance / Time

Speed = 400m / Time (for one-way trip)

Let's assume that the time for the one-way trip is t. Then we can rewrite the speed formula as:

Speed = 400m / t

Now let's find the time for the return trip. We know that the boat travels the same route at the same speed for 2 minutes, which is equivalent to 120 seconds. This means that the distance traveled on the way back is:

Distance = Speed x Time

Distance = (400m / t) x 120 seconds

Distance = 48000m / t

We also know that when Pilar increases the boat's speed by 10 m/min, the return trip is 60 seconds faster. This means that the time for the return trip is:

t - 60 seconds

Using the same formula as before, the distance traveled on the return trip is:

Distance = (400m / (t + 1/2)) x (t - 60) seconds

Distance = (400m / (t + 1/2)) x (t - 60/60) minutes

Distance = 400m x (t - 60/60) / (t + 1/2) minutes

Now we know that the distance traveled on the way back is equal to the distance traveled on the way there:

48000m / t = 400m x (t - 60/60) / (t + 1/2)

Simplifying this equation, we get:

48 / t = 4 x (t - 1/3) / (t + 1/2)

Multiplying both sides by (t + 1/2), we get:

48(t + 1/2) / t = 4(t - 1/3)

Simplifying this equation, we get:

96 / t = 4t - 4/3

Multiplying both sides by t, we get:

96 = 4t^2 - 4/3t

Multiplying both sides by 3, we get:

288 = 12t^2 - 4t

Rearranging this equation, we get

12t^2 - 4t - 288 = 0

Dividing both sides by 4, we get:

3t^2 - t - 72 = 0

Using the quadratic formula, we can solve for t:

t = [1 ± sqrt(1 + 4(3)(72))] / 6

t = [1 ± sqrt(865)] / 6

Since t must be positive, we take the positive root:

t ≈ 6.366

Therefore, the time for the return trip is:

t - 60 seconds ≈ 6.366 - 60 seconds ≈ 5.306 seconds

User Joshua Rudd
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