Question

A twin engine aircraft can fly 1520 miles from city A to city B in 5 hours with the wind and make return trip in 8 hours against the wind. What is the speed of the wind?

Answer 1

57 mph

Explanation:

The relation between speed, time, and distance is ...

speed = distance/time

Using p for the speed of the plane and w for the speed of the wind, we have ...

p + w = 1520/5 = 304 . . . . miles/hour

p - w = 1520/8 = 190 . . . . miles/hour

Subtracting the second equation from the first gives ...

2w = 114

w = 57 . . . . . . divide by 2

The speed of the wind is 57 miles per hour.