suzie and bill

Question

suzie and bill are going to meet for lunch at a point between their houses. They both leave on their bikes at the same time from their homes wich are 40 miles apart. bills rate is 15 mph faster than suzie's rate. If they spend 2 hours each riding their bikes, determine both of their rates

Answer 1

Appending to Byron's response:

 

2r + 2r + 30 = 40 which means 4r = 10 and r = 2.5

 

So, Bill traveled 35 miles while Suzie only traveled 5......and women often claim that we (men) don't meet them "half-way" (smile). Here is an example of a man that travels 7 times as far as the woman in order to meet for lunch.

 

 

Answer 2

When traveling at a constant speed, you can use the equation d=rt (distance equals rate times time)

 

In this problem, you know the total distance and the time, and need to determine the rates. Let's call Suzie's rate r. Bill's rate is 15 mph faster, so you can use r+15.

 

(Suzie's distance) + (Bill's distance) = 40 mi

(r mph)(2 hr) + (r+15 mph)(2 hr) = 40 mi

 

You can solve this for r (Suzie's rate), then add 15 to find Bill's rate.