When a small plane flies with the wind, it can travel 800 miles in 5 hours. When the plane flies in the opposite direction, against the wind, it takes 8 hours to fly the same distance. What is the rate of the plane in still air and the rate of the wind?

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When a small plane flies with the wind, it can travel 800 miles in 5 hours. When the plane flies in the opposite direction, against the wind, it takes 8 hours to fly the same distance. What is the rate of the plane in still air and the rate of the wind?

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Answer 1 · 2017-11-26T03:33:18

The plane will travel 130mph in still air and the wind current is 30mph.

Explanation:

First, let $x$ be the speed of the plane when travelling in still air and $y$ the speed of wind. When the plane is travelling against the wind, the speed is $x-y$ . When it is going with the wind, the speed is $x+y$ .

Using the formula $d=rt$ you could write the following equations.

$5(x+y)=800$
$8(x-y)=800$

Simplify to get
$x+y=160$
$x-y=100$

Subtract both equations to get
$2y=60$

Therefore, $y$ is 30. Plug in the value to one of the equations to get the value of $x$ . $x$ is 130. You now have the answer!

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When a small plane flies with the wind, it can travel 800 miles in 5 hours. When the plane flies in the opposite direction, against the wind, it takes 8 hours to fly the same distance. What is the rate of the plane in still air and the rate of the wind?

1 Answer

Explanation:

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