Question

A boat travels upstream for 48 miles in 3 hours and returns in 2 hours traveling downstream in a river. What is the rate of the boat in still water and the rate of the current.

Answer 1

Answer:

20 mph and 4 mph

Step-by-step explanation:

GIVEN: A boat travels upstream for $48$ miles in $3$ hours and returns in $2$ hours traveling downstream in a river.

TO FIND: What is the rate of the boat in still water and the rate of the current.

SOLUTION:

Let the speed of boat in still water be $s$ and speed of current be $a$.

$\therefore$ speed of water in upstream $=s+a$

  speed of water in downstream $=s-a$

As  $speed=\frac{distance}{time}$

$s+a=\frac{48}{3}=16$

$s-a=\frac{48}{2}=24$

Solving both we get

$s=20\text{ mph}$

$a=4\text{ mph}$

Hence speed of boat in still water and rate of current is 20mph and 4mph respectively.