Final answer:
Maria can paddle her canoe 2 miles upstream against the current in the same time it would take her to paddle 6 miles downstream. The speed of the current is 0.25 mph.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we can start by using the formula speed = distance/time.
Let's denote the speed of the current as s mph.
When Maria paddles upstream, her effective speed is (2 - s) mph, as she is paddling against the current. Since she can paddle 2 miles upstream in the same time it takes to paddle 6 miles downstream, we can set up the equation:
2 / (2 - s) = 6 / (2 + s)
Cross-multiplying, we get:
4 + 2s = 6 - 6s
Combining like terms, we have:
8s = 2
Dividing both sides by 8, we find:
s = 0.25
Therefore, the speed of the current is 0.25 mph.