Question

Wendy took a trip from devenport to ohama, a distance of 300mi. she traveled part of the way by bus, which arrived at the train station just in time for Wendy to complete her journey by train. the bus averaged 40 mi/h and the train 60 mi/h. the entire trip took 5 1/2 h. how long did Wendy spend on the train?

Answer 1

Answer: Wendy spent 4 hours on the train

Explanation:

Let x represent the time that Wendy spent on the bus.

Let y represent the time that Wendy spent on the train.

Distance = speed × time

The bus averaged 40 mi/h. This means that distance travelled by the bus is 40x

The train averaged 60 mi/h. This means that distance travelled by the bus is 60y

Wendy took a trip from devenport to ohama, a distance of 300mi. This means that

40x + 60y = 300- - - - - - - - - - - - -1

The entire trip took 5 1/2(5.5) h. This means that

x + y = 5.5

Substituting x = 5.5 - y into equation 1, it becomes

40(5.5 - y) + 60y = 300

220 - 40y + 60y = 300

- 40y + 60y = 300 - 220

20y = 80

y = 80/20

y = 4

x = 5.5 - y = 5.5 - 4

x = 1.5