In a canoe race, a team paddles downstream 480 m. in 60 s. The same team travels up stream in 80 s. Find the team's rate in still water and the rate of the current.

Please show how the equation is set up to solve

2 answers

Let the distance paddled (one way) be L = 480 m

Let V be the canoe speed in still water and v be the stream speed.
L/(V+v) = 60 s
L/(V-v) = 80 s
(V+v)/(V-v) = 80/60 = 4/3
V + v = (4/3)V - (4/3)v
V/3 = (7/3)v
v = V/7

480/(8V/7) = 60
V = 7 m/s
v = 1 m/s
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