A car leaves town traveling 35 MPH. Two hours later a 2nd car leaves, in the same direction traveling 55 MPH.In how many hours will the 2nd car be passing the first?

In the two hours, first car has traveled 70 miles.

55x = 70 + 35x

Solve for x.

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To find out how many hours it will take for the second car to pass the first car, we can use the concept of relative speed.

Let's first determine the head start distance that the first car has traveled during the two hours it started before the second car.

Head start distance = speed * time
Head start distance = 35 mph * 2 hours
Head start distance = 70 miles

Now, the relative speed between the two cars can be calculated by subtracting the speed of the first car from the speed of the second car:

Relative speed = 55 mph - 35 mph
Relative speed = 20 mph

Since the second car needs to cover the head start distance (70 miles) while gaining on the first car with a relative speed of 20 mph, we can use the formula:

Time = Distance / Speed

Time = 70 miles / 20 mph
Time = 3.5 hours

Therefore, it will take the second car 3.5 hours to pass the first car.