Brenda left the hardware store and drove toward the recycling plant at an average speed of 20mph. Perry left one hour later and drove the same directions but with an average speed of 30 mph. find the number of hours Brenda drove before Perry caught up.
let Brenda's time driving be t hrs
then Peryy drove for t-1 hrs.
20t = 30(t-1)
20t = 30t - 30
-10t = -30
t = 3
I will leave it up to you to answer the actual question
To find the number of hours Brenda drove before Perry caught up, we need to determine the time it took for Perry to catch up to Brenda.
Let's assume that Brenda drove for x hours before Perry caught up. Since Perry left one hour later, he drove for x-1 hours.
Now, let's calculate the distance traveled by Brenda and Perry to determine when they meet.
Distance = Speed * Time
For Brenda:
Distance covered by Brenda = Speed * Time
Distance covered by Brenda = 20 mph * x hours
Distance covered by Brenda = 20x miles
For Perry:
Distance covered by Perry = Speed * Time
Distance covered by Perry = 30 mph * (x-1) hours
Distance covered by Perry = 30(x-1) miles
Since Brenda and Perry meet when their distances are equal, we can set up an equation:
20x = 30(x-1)
Let's solve for x:
20x = 30x - 30
Subtracting 20x from both sides:
20x - 30x = -30
Simplifying:
-10x = -30
Dividing both sides by -10:
x = -30 / -10
x = 3
Therefore, Brenda drove for 3 hours before Perry caught up.