Mattie Evans drove 80 miles in the same amount of time that it took a turbopropeller plane to travel 400 miles. The speed of the plane was 160 mph faster than the speed of the car. Find the speed of the plane.
Accepted Solution
A:
The plane was travelling 164 mph.
We begin with the formula d=rt, where d is distance, r is rate (speed) and t is time.Β The time is the same for both vehicles, so we will solve the formula for t:
d=rt
Divide both sides by r: d/r = t
We know that the time is the same for both vehicles so this sets up a proportion: d/r = d/r
The car travels 80 miles at an unknown speed, x: 80/x = d/r
The plane travels 400 miles at 160 mph faster than the unknown speed: 80/x = 400/(x+160)