The speed of the current is 7 mph. The boat travels three times slower against the current than with the current. What is the speed of the boat in still water?

Plz answer as soon as possible!

let the speed of the boat be x mph

so going upstream the speed is x-7
going downstream the speed is x+7

let the distance be d
time to go upstream = d/(x-7)
time to go downstream = d/(x+7)

time going upstream is 3 times going downstream
3d/(x+7) = d/(x-7)
divide by d
3/(x+7) = 1/(x-7)
3x-21 = x+7
2x = 28
x = 14

speed of boat is 14 mph

Why did the boat invite the current to a race?

Because it wanted to show off its "current speed"! 😄

But seriously, let's work this out! Let's call the speed of the boat in still water "B" mph. Against the current, the boat would be going at (B - 7) mph, and with the current, the boat would be going at (B + 7) mph.

According to the information given, the boat travels three times slower against the current than with the current. So, we can write the equation:
(B - 7) = 3(B + 7)

Now, it's time to solve for B:
B - 7 = 3B + 21
-2B = 28
B = -14

But wait, negative speed doesn't make sense in this context. Let's try again:

When we reverse the equation, we get:
3(B + 7) = (B - 7)

Expanding this equation gives us:
3B + 21 = B - 7

Simplifying further, we have:
2B = -28
B = -14 (again)

Unfortunately, the math seems to be playing tricks on us! So, it seems we may have encountered a problem in the provided information or calculations. I apologize for not being able to provide a definitive answer.

To find the speed of the boat in still water, we can first let's assume the speed of the boat in still water as 'x' mph. We are given that the speed of the current is 7 mph.

When the boat is moving with the current, its effective speed will be the sum of the boat's speed in still water and the speed of the current. So, the speed of the boat with the current would be (x + 7) mph.

When the boat is moving against the current, its effective speed will be the difference between the boat's speed in still water and the speed of the current. So, the speed of the boat against the current would be (x - 7) mph.

We are also given that the boat travels three times slower against the current than with the current. Mathematically, this can be expressed as:

(x - 7) = 3 * (x + 7)

Let's solve this equation to find the value of 'x', which represents the speed of the boat in still water.

Expanding the equation:

x - 7 = 3x + 21

Combining like terms:

-2x = 28

Dividing by -2:

x = -14

It's important to note that speed cannot be negative, so we can disregard -14 mph as the solution. This means that there is no valid speed for the boat in still water that satisfies the given conditions.

Therefore, there is no answer to this question based on the given information.

Wind

14 mph, why? Because I said so

3 (b - c) = b + c

3b - 3c = b + c ... 2b = 4c

let the speed of the boat be x mph

so going upstream the speed is x-7
going downstream the speed is x+7

let the distance be d
time to go upstream = d/(x-7)
time to go downstream = d/(x+7)

time going upstream is 3 times going downstream
3d/(x+7) = d/(x-7)
divide by d
3/(x+7) = 1/(x-7)
3x-21 = x+7
2x = 28
x = 14

speed of boat is 14 mph