Sam rows up a river to camp in

three hours.The next day he makes the return
trip downstream in one hour. If he can row two
mph in still water, how fast is the current?

i don't understand this?

distance = speed * time

since the distances are the same,

(2+c)(1) = (2-c)(3)
c = 1

thank you

To solve this problem, you need to use the formula:

Speed in Still Water = (Speed of downstream + Speed of upstream) / 2

Let's break down the problem step by step:

1. Sam rows up the river to camp in three hours:
- Let's assume the speed of the current as x mph.
- Sam's speed upstream would be 2 - x mph (since the current opposes his movement).
- Using the formula Distance = Speed × Time, the distance covered by Sam upstream is (2 - x) × 3 = 6 - 3x miles.

2. The next day, Sam rows downstream in one hour:
- His speed downstream would be 2 + x mph (as the current helps his movement).
- Again, using the formula Distance = Speed × Time, the distance covered by Sam downstream is (2 + x) × 1 = 2 + x miles.

3. To find the speed of the current, we equate the distances covered upstream and downstream:
- Distance upstream = Distance downstream
- 6 - 3x = 2 + x

Now, we can solve this equation to find the value of x, which represents the speed of the current.

6 - 3x = 2 + x
5x = 4
x = 4/5

Therefore, the speed of the current is 4/5 mph.