Question

A man (M) is standing on the bank of a river that is 0.9 miles wide. He wants to reach a house (B) on the opposite shore that is 0.9 miles downstream. The man can row the boat 3 mph and can walk 4.5mph. Find the distance between the house and the point (P) where he should dock his boat in order to minimize the total time he would need to reach the house. Enter the exact answer or round to the nearest hundredth.

Answer 1

The distance between the hose and the point (P) is 0.9 miles

Explanation:

Here we have

Speed of rowing the boat = 3 mph

Speed of waling = 4.5 mph

Since the speed of walking is more than that of to row the boat, the location of where he should dock his boat in order to minimize the total time he would need to reach the house is the shortest distance across the river to the house

Therefore the location of the point (P) should be directly opposite the house across the water and the distance id 0.9 miles.