A kayak moves 10 miles per hour in still water. If the river current flows at 5 miles per hour, how long does it take reach 26 miles upstream?
The upstream speed is 10-5 = 5mph.
So, it will take 26/5 hours to go upstream 26 miles.
To calculate the time it takes to kayak upstream, we need to take into account the speed of the kayak and the speed of the river current.
When kayaking upstream, the current acts against the motion of the kayak, effectively reducing its speed. In this case, the kayak moves at 10 miles per hour, but the current flows at 5 miles per hour in the opposite direction.
To find the net speed of the kayak relative to the ground (speed of the kayak minus the speed of the current), we subtract the speed of the current from the kayak's speed:
Net Speed = Kayak Speed - Current Speed
Net Speed = 10 miles per hour - 5 miles per hour
Net Speed = 5 miles per hour
Now, we can calculate the time it takes to travel a distance of 26 miles with a kayak speed of 5 miles per hour:
Time = Distance / Speed
Time = 26 miles / 5 miles per hour
Time ≈ 5.2 hours
Therefore, it would take approximately 5.2 hours to reach 26 miles upstream.