a car travels for 2 hours at r mph and then decreases its speed by 5mph for the next 3 hours. What is total time traveled?
Looks like 5 hours to me. (2 hrs + 3 hrs)
I suspect there is more to this question ...
10
To find the total time traveled, we need to calculate the individual times for each portion of the trip and then add them together.
Let's break down the problem step by step:
1. Calculate the distance traveled during the first two hours at a speed of r mph:
Distance_1 = Speed_1 * Time_1
= r * 2
2. Calculate the distance traveled during the next three hours at a speed of (r - 5) mph:
Distance_2 = Speed_2 * Time_2
= (r - 5) * 3
3. Calculate the total distance traveled:
Total Distance = Distance_1 + Distance_2
4. Calculate the total time traveled by dividing the total distance by the average speed:
Total Time = Total Distance / Average Speed
= (Distance_1 + Distance_2) / [ (Speed_1 + Speed_2) / 2]
Therefore, to find the total time traveled, we need the value of r, the initial speed of the car, and then substitute it into the equations to calculate the answer.