Question

A chemical spill is leaking into a river flowing 2 3/4 miles per hour. How long will it take the chemicals to reach a town located 17 1/4 miles downtown from the spill

Answer 1

`6(3)/(11)=6.27` hours.

Explanation:

We have been given that a chemical spill is leaking into a river flowing 2 3/4 miles per hour.

To find the time taken by chemical to reach the town we will divide distance of town from the spill by distance covered by chemical spill in one hour.

`\text{Time taken by chemical to reach the town}=17(1)/(4) / 2(3)/(4)`

Upon converting our mixed fractions into improper fractions we will get,

`\text{Time taken by chemical to reach the town}=(69)/(4) / (11)/(4)`

Dividing a fraction with another fraction is same as multiplying first fraction by the reciprocal of second fraction.

`\text{Time taken by chemical to reach the town}=(69)/(4)* (4)/(11)`

After cancelling out 4 we will get,

`\text{Time taken by chemical to reach the town}=(69)/(11)`

`\text{Time taken by chemical to reach the town}=6(3)/(11)`

`\text{Time taken by chemical to reach the town}=6.272727\approx 6.27`

Therefore, it will take the chemicals
`6(3)/(11)=6.27` hours to reach the town.