Question

10. A small plane was scheduled to fly from Atlanta to Washington, D.C. The plane flies at a constant speed of 230 miles per

hour. However, the flight was against a head wind of 10 miles per hour. The threat of mechanical failure forced the plane to
turn back, and it returned to Atlanta with a tail wind of 10 miles per hour, landing 2.3 hours after it had taken off.
Complete parts a through b.
a. How far had the plane traveled before turning back?
The plane had traveled
(1)
before turning back.
(Type an integer or decimal rounded to two decimal places as needed.)
b. What was the plane's average speed?
The plane's average speed was
(2) -
(Type an integer or decimal rounded to two decimal places as needed.)
(1)
(2)
O miles
miles per hour
O hours
miles per hour
hours
miles.

Answer 1

Answer: The plane had traveled about 264 miles before turning back. The average speed was 230 mph

Step-by-step explanation: 230 - 10 = 220 speed outgoing

230+10 = 240 speed returning

Average speed (220+240)÷2= 460/2 =230 mph (needless to calculate!) Multiplied by total time 2.3 hours = 529 miles total distance.

Traveling the entire distance at 220mph would take about 2.4 hours. Traveling the entire distance at 240mph would take about 2.2 hours, a difference of .20 hours. Cut those times in half:

Traveling at 220mph for 1.2 hours would cover about 264 miles.

Traveling at 240mph for 1.1 hours would cover about 264 miles.

It adds up to 528 miles. The plane can't turn instantly, so figure the turn took the missing mile!