Answer:
Time when Ben and Melanie are 360 miles apart = 3.871 hours.
Explanation:
The question seems unclear, but the sense that could be made from this question is that
Ben leaves with a speed of 51 miles per hour and Melanie also left at the same time in the opposite direction at a speed of 42 miles per hour. My husband wants to find how many hours they both must have been moving to be 360 miles apart.
Let the required time be t.
Let the distance covered by Ben in t hours be x miles.
Let the distance covered by Melanie in t hours be y miles.
Total distance covered = x + y = 360 (eqn 1)
speed = (distance/time)
For Ben
51 = (x/t)
x = (51t) miles
For Melanie
42 = (y/t)
y = (42t) miles
Substituting for x and y in eqn 1
x + y = 360
51t + 42t = 360
93t = 360
t = (360/93) = 3.871 hours.
Ben would have travelled x = 51t = 51 × 3.871 = 197.42 miles
Melanie would have travelled y = 42t = 42 × 3.871 = 162.58 miles
Hope this Helps!!!!