Question

A plane travels 1200 miles from San Diego, Ca to Portland, Oregon. On the way there, the plane traveled with the wind and made it in 4 hours. On the return trip, the plane traveled against the wind and made it in 6 hours. Find the speed of the plane and the speed of the wind.

Answer 1

Speed of plane is 250 miles per hour and speed of wind is 50 miles per hour

Explanation:

Let x represent the speed of the wind. When travelling with the wind, the plane travels 1200 miles within 4 hours. Hence the speed of the plane with the wind is:

speed = distance / time = 1200 miles / 4 hours = 300 miles per hour

When travelling against the wind, the plane travels 1200 miles within 6 hours. Hence the speed of the plane against the wind is:

speed = distance / time = 1200 miles / 6 hours = 200 miles per hour

Therefore:

300 - x = 200 + x

300 - 200 = x + x

2x = 100

x = 50 miles per hour

The speed of the wind = 50 miles per hour. The speed of the plane = 300 - 50 = 200 + 50 = 250 miles per hour