Lauren drove her car for 3 hours in a dust storm. When the skies cleared, she increased her speed by 30 miles per hour and drove 4 more hours, completing her 295-mile trip. How fast did she travel during the dust storm?
dust storm rate ---- x mph
clear day rate ----- x+40 mph
solve
3(x) + 4(x+40) = 295
To find out how fast Lauren traveled during the dust storm, let's break down the information given in the question.
We know that Lauren drove for 3 hours in the dust storm. Let's assume that her speed during that time was "x" miles per hour.
Therefore, during the dust storm, Lauren traveled a distance of 3 * x = 3x miles.
After the skies cleared, she increased her speed by 30 mph. So, her speed during the clear skies travel was (x + 30) miles per hour.
She drove for an additional 4 hours during this time, covering a distance of 4 * (x + 30) = 4x + 120 miles.
According to the question, the total distance traveled was 295 miles. This can be expressed as:
3x + 4x + 120 = 295
Combining like terms:
7x + 120 = 295
Now, let's solve the equation for "x".
Subtracting 120 from both sides of the equation:
7x = 295 - 120
7x = 175
Dividing both sides of the equation by 7:
x = 175 / 7
x = 25
Therefore, Lauren traveled at a speed of 25 miles per hour during the dust storm.