Homework Help: algebra

Posted by Math Girl on Sunday, June 10, 2012 at 8:58pm.

a tugboat goes 160 miles upstream in 20 hours. The return trip downstream takes 10 hours. Find the speed of the tugboat without a current and the speed of the current.

algebra - Steve, Monday, June 11, 2012 at 11:51am
if the speed of the boat in still water is x, and the speed of the current is c, then, remembering that distance=speed*time,

20(x-c)=10(x+c)
20x-20c=10x+10c
10x=30c
x=3c

20(2c) = 160
c = 4
so, x=12

check:
20(8) = 160
10(16) = 160

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