A car goes at 40 miles per hour and returns at the same route at 30 miles per hour. What is the total distance if the time is 1 hour?

My answer
17 and 3/7

let the time for first trip be t hrs

then the time for the return trip is 1-t hrs

so 40t = 30(1-t)
40t = 30 - 30t
70t = 30
t = 3/7 hrs

distance = 40t = 40(3/7) = 120/7 miles
or appr 17.14 miles

looks like your answers are correct, make sure you state them in the proper way.

To find the total distance traveled, we can use the formula: distance = speed × time.

Let's denote the distance from point A to point B as "d" (since the distance traveled going and returning is the same), the speed going from A to B as "40 mph," and the speed returning from B to A as "30 mph." We are given that the total time taken is 1 hour.

First, let's determine the time taken to travel from A to B using the equation time = distance / speed:

time (to B) = d / 40 mph

Next, let's find the time taken to travel from B back to A using the same equation:

time (to A) = d / 30 mph

Since the total time is 1 hour, we can write the equation:

d / 40 + d / 30 = 1

To solve for "d," we can multiply the entire equation by 120 (the least common multiple of 40 and 30) to eliminate the fractions:

3d + 4d = 120

7d = 120

d = 120 / 7 ≈ 17.14

Therefore, the total distance traveled is approximately 17 and 3/7 miles.