Question

A bird flies against a wind that is going 4 miles per hour and takes 2 hours to travel a certain distance. When flying with the current, the bird only takes 0.5 hours to travel the same distance. Approximately how fast would the bird fly, in miles per hour, without wind current, assuming it flies at a constant rate?

Answer 1

Let's call the speed of the bird without any wind current "x".

When flying against the wind, the effective speed of the bird is its speed (x) minus the speed of the wind (4 mph). So, the distance traveled can be expressed as:

distance = speed * time

distance = (x - 4) * 2

When flying with the wind, the effective speed of the bird is its speed (x) plus the speed of the wind (4 mph). So, the distance traveled can be expressed as:

distance = speed * time

distance = (x + 4) * 0.5

We know that these two distances are the same, since the bird is traveling the same distance in both cases. So:

(x - 4) * 2 = (x + 4) * 0.5

Simplifying this equation, we get:

2x - 8 = 0.5x + 2

1.5x = 10

x = 6.67

Therefore, the bird would fly at a constant speed of approximately 6.67 mph without any wind current.

Answer 2

6.0 is the answer you're looking for