Question

It took John 4 hours from his home to drive to Leakey, Tx.. On the way home his speed was reduced by 20 MPH due to heavy traffic and took 7 hours. How far is it to Leakey from John's home?

Answer 1

Let the speed at which John is going towards Leakey = x mph

Time taken to reach Leakey = 4 hours

Distance = speed * time

So let the distance of Leakey from John's house be 4x ............. (1)

Speed while returning was 20 mph less = (x-20)

Time taken was= 7 hours

distance = (x-20)*7  ................(2)

As the distance remains the same, equation 1 = equation 2

$4x=7(x-20)$

$4x=7x-140$

$3x=140$

$x=\frac{140}{3}$

So, the speed is $\frac{140}{3}$ mph

Distance = 4x

= $4*\frac{140}{3}= 186.667$

Hence, the distance of Leakey from John's house is 186.667 miles.