The bicyclists were 300 miles apart at 3 p.m. and were headed toward each other. If they met at 9 p.m. and one was traveling 20 mph faster than the other, what was the speed of each bicyclist?

So far these are the equations I have gotten:

Distance1 + Distance2= 300miles
rate1(time1) + rate2(time2)= 300 miles
rate1= rate2 + 20 mph
time1 + time2 = 6 hrs

However I cant combine them into one equation...

How would you do that

X mi/h = Speed of #1.

(X+20) mi/h = Speed of #2.

d1 + d2 = 300 Miles.
6x + 6(x+20) = 300
6x + 6x+ 120 = 300
12x = 300 - 120 = 180
X = 15 mi/h.
X+20 = 15 + 20 = 35 mi/h.

NOTE: Each rider was on the road 6 hrs.

To solve this problem, you can use a system of equations. Let's assign variables to the unknowns:

Let's say the speed of the first cyclist is x mph, and the speed of the second cyclist is (x+20) mph.

We know that:

Distance = Speed × Time

For the first cyclist:
Distance1 = x mph × time1

For the second cyclist:
Distance2 = (x+20) mph × time2

Given that they met at 9 p.m., the time1 + time2 is equal to 6 hours.

Therefore, we have two equations:

Equation 1: Distance1 + Distance2 = 300 miles
Equation 2: time1 + time2 = 6 hours

Let's solve these equations:

From Equation 1:
x × time1 + (x+20) × time2 = 300

Since we know that the time1 + time2 = 6, we can substitute time1 = 6 - time2 into the equation:

x × (6 - time2) + (x+20) × time2 = 300

Now we have one equation with only one variable (time2).

Simplifying further:

6x - x × time2 + x × time2 + 20 × time2 = 300

6x + 20 × time2 = 300

Rearranging the equation:

20 × time2 = 300 - 6x

Dividing both sides by 20:

time2 = (300 - 6x) / 20

Now that we have a value for time2, we can substitute it back into the equation time1 + time2 = 6:

time1 + (300 - 6x) / 20 = 6

Now, let's solve this equation for time1:

time1 + (300 - 6x) / 20 = 6

Multiply through by 20:

20(time1) + 300 - 6x = 120

20(time1) = 120 - 300 + 6x

20(time1) = 6x - 180

Divide both sides by 20:

time1 = (6x - 180)/20

With this equation, we have expressions for both time1 and time2 in terms of x.

Now, we can substitute these values into the distance equation:

x × time1 + (x+20) × time2 = 300

Substituting time1 and time2:

x × [(6x - 180)/20] + (x+20) × [(300 - 6x) / 20] = 300

Now, we have a single equation with only one variable (x). Simplify and solve for x.

Solving this equation will give you the speed of the first cyclist (x). Once you have x, you can find the speed of the second cyclist by adding 20 to the value of x.

I hope this explanation helps! Let me know if you have any further questions.