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For a vacation, you and your family fly east to west from Boston, Massachusetts, to Seattle, Washington. You notice that your flight back home to Boston is shorter than your flight to Seattle.

Which phenomenon causes your flight home to be shorter?

wind-chill factor
Coriolis effect
jet stream
prevailing westerlies

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
jet stream

High-altitude jet streams flow predominantly west-to-east across the U.S. Aircraft flying east (Seattle → Boston) get a tailwind from the jet stream, reducing travel time; flying west they face a headwind, lengthening the trip.