Find the speed of the airplane in still air..

Question

An airplane flew 4 hours with a 25 mph tail wind. The return trip against the same wind took 5 hours. Find the speed of the airplane in still air.

 

 Help please.. This makes no sense to me

Answer 1

An airplane flew 4 hours with a 25 mph tail wind. The return trip against the same wind took 5 hours. Find the speed of the airplane in still air.

The airplane had a tail wind helping it make the first leg of the trip and then a head wind fighting back against the plane on the return trip.  Use the information to find the speed of the plane without the wind helping and hindering it.

let x = plane speed

x+25mph =4 hours

x-25mph =5 hours

the distance is not given but we know that it must be the same distance both to and from the destination.

speed * time = distance

(x+25)*4 = (x-25)*5

4x +100 = 5x -125

225 = x = speed of airplane without the wind

check

(225+25)*4 = (225-25)*5

250*4 = 200*5

1000=1000

 

Comments

A man flies a small airplane from Fargo to Bismarck, North Dakota --- a distance of 180 miles. Because he is flying into a head wind, the trip takes him 2 hours. On the way back, the wind is still blowing at the same speed, so the return trip takes only 1 hour and 30 minutes. What is the plane's speed in still air, and how fast is the wind blowing?

his plane speed equals mph.
the wind speed equals mph.

Answer 2

against the wind a commercial airline in south america flew 952 miles in 4 hours. with tailwind the return trip took 3.5 hours. What was the speed of the plan in still air