Question

An airplane travels 60 mph faster from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale than it travels on the return trip from Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta. If it takes 2 hr from Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale and 2.5 hr for the return trip, determine the speed of each trip.

Answer 1

Atlanta to Fort Lauderdale = 300mph
Fort Lauderdale to Atlanta= 240mph

In this case, the plane is going for 2 trips with same distance(distance1 = distance2), but different velocity (v1= v2+60mph). Then to answer this question, the formula would be:

distance1 = distance2
v1 * t1= v2* t2
v1 * 2h = v2* 2.5h
2(v2+60)= 2.5 v2
2.5 v2 - 2 v2 = 120
0.5 v2= 120
v2= 240

Then, to find v1
v1 = v2+60
v1= 240+60=300