Two cars leave town going in the same direction. One travels 55 mph and the other travels 65 mph How long will it take before they are 180 miles apart?
Hint: We do know that one car is 180 miles ahead of the other, so the slow car's distance can be represented by " d " and the distance of the fast car, which would be ahead, can be represented by "d + 180." The time is the same again, and can be represented by "t." This time we have two unknowns, so we need two equations, one for the fast car, and one for the slow car. Again we are using the basic formula d = rt , and substituting the values that are relevant to our situation. The equation for the slow car is: d = 55t. You write the equation for the fast car, and solve the system by substitution. Don't forget the units in your answer.
wow ;) just kidding
im stuck on this one too.
To find out how long it will take before the two cars are 180 miles apart, we need to set up a system of equations based on their distances and speeds.
Let's assign variables to the distances traveled by each car. Let "d" represent the distance traveled by the slow car (55 mph) and "d + 180" represent the distance traveled by the fast car (65 mph).
We also know that the time it takes for both cars to reach their respective distances is the same. Let's represent this time as "t".
Now, let's set up the equations:
For the slow car:
Distance (d) = Speed (55 mph) × Time (t)
d = 55t
For the fast car:
Distance (d + 180) = Speed (65 mph) × Time (t)
d + 180 = 65t
Now we have a system of two equations. To solve it, we can substitute the value of "d" from the first equation into the second equation:
55t + 180 = 65t
Rearranging the equation, we get:
65t - 55t = 180
10t = 180
Now we can solve for "t" by dividing both sides of the equation by 10:
t = 18
So, it will take 18 hours before the two cars are 180 miles apart.
Make sure to include the units in your answer, which in this case is hours.