one plane left an airport at 11:30 am. A second plane, traveling at 320 mph left the same airport at 1:00 pm and overtook the first plane at 4:30 pm. At what speed was the first plane traveling?
To determine the speed of the first plane, we need to set up a distance equation based on the information provided.
Let's consider the time it took for the second plane to overtake the first plane. The first plane left the airport at 11:30 am, and the second plane left at 1:00 pm, which means there is a time difference of 1 hour and 30 minutes, or 1.5 hours.
Now, let's calculate the distance covered by the first plane in the time it took for the second plane to catch up. The second plane caught up with the first plane at 4:30 pm, which means there is a time difference of 3 hours and 30 minutes, or 3.5 hours.
Let's assume the speed of the first plane is represented by v mph.
Distance covered by the first plane = v * (3.5 hours + 1.5 hours) = v * 5 hours
The second plane travels at a speed of 320 mph and covers the same distance as the first plane, so:
Distance covered by the second plane = 320 mph * 3.5 hours
Now that we have established the distance covered by both planes, we can set up the equation:
v * 5 = 320 * 3.5
Simplifying the equation:
5v = 1120
v = 1120 / 5
v = 224
Therefore, the first plane was traveling at a speed of 224 mph.