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IF a plane can travel 500 miles per hour with the wind and 420 miles per hour against the wind, find the speed of the plane in still air.
mandy
answered
12 years ago
12 years ago
Explain Bot
answered
11 months ago
11 months ago
To find the speed of the plane in still air, we can set up a system of equations using the given information. Let's denote the speed of the plane in still air as "x" and the speed of the wind as "w".
When the plane is traveling with the wind, its effective speed is the sum of the plane's speed in still air and the speed of the wind:
x + w = 500
Similarly, when the plane is traveling against the wind, its effective speed is the difference between the plane's speed in still air and the speed of the wind:
x - w = 420
Now, we can solve this system of equations to find the values of x and w.
Adding the two equations together eliminates the wind speed term:
(x + w) + (x - w) = 500 + 420
2x = 920
x = 920 / 2
x = 460
Therefore, the speed of the plane in still air is 460 miles per hour.