Question

A man flies a small airplane from Fargo to Bismarck, North Dakota- a distance of 180 miles. Because he is flying into a head wind, the trip takes him 2 hours. On the way back, the wind is still blowing at the same speed, so the return trip takes only 1.2 hours. What is the planes speed in still air, and how fast is the wind blowing?
1) His plane speed equals ______ mph
2) The wind speed equals ______ mph

Answer 1

Answer:

1.) 120 mph

2.) 30 mph

Step-by-step explanation:

Given that a  man flies a small airplane from Fargo to Bismarck, North Dakota- a distance of 180 miles. Because he is flying into a head wind, the trip takes him 2 hours. On the way back, the wind is still blowing at the same speed, so the return trip takes only 1.2 hours. What is the planes speed in still air, and how fast is the wind blowing?

Let the wind speed = w

and the plane speed = p

From the first sentence,

P - w = 180/ 2

P - w = 90 ....... ( 1 )

From the second statement,

P + w = 180/1.2

P+ w = 150 ...... ( 2 )

Solve equation 1 and 2 simultaneously

P + w = 150

P - w = 90

Add the two equations

2P = 240

P = 120 mph

Substitute p in equation 1

W = 150 - 120

W = 30

Therefore, the wind speed is 30 mph and the plane speed is 120 mph