Find the speed of each car d=rt

Question

There are 2 cars 550 miles apart and traveling towards eachother. They meet in 5 hours. If one cars speed is 5 times faster than the other, find the speed of each car.

Answer 1

Hi, Kate.

So 2 cars are traveling at different speeds. Let's say:

x: the speed of first (faster) car

y: the speed of the 2nd (slower) car

Also, one care is 5 times as fast as the other so:

x = 5y

Together they travel 550 miles are their own speeds for 5 hours (when they meet).

5x + 5y = 550

But, since x = 5y, you can write the equation as:

5(5y) + 5y = 550

25y + 5y = 550

30y = 550

y = 550/30 = 18 1/3 mph

x = 5(18 1/3) = 91 2/3 mph