A cabin cruiser travels 20 miles in the same time that a power boat travels 40 miles. The cruiser travels 5mph slower than the power boat. How do you find the speed of each boat?

1 Answer
Noah G
May 17, 2016

We will solve this problem using the formula #s = d/t#, where s is speed, d is distance and t is time.

Explanation:

Rearranging for time we get #t = d/s#. Since in this problem the time is being stated as being equal, we can set up the following equation, were x is the speed of the power boat.

#20/(x - 5) = 40/x#

#20x = 40(x - 5)#

#20x = 40x - 200#

#200 = 20x#

#10 = x#

The powerboat travels at 10 miles per hour and the cabin cruiser travels at 5 miles per hour.

Hopefully this helps!

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