Question

Sun, a kayaker, paddles 8 miles upstream (against the current) in 2 hours. Returning to her original location, she paddles downstream (with the current) the same distance in 1 hour. The equations represent x, the paddling speed, and y, the speed of the current.2(x – y) = a

Answer 1

Let r and c be Suns rowing speed and the currents speed, respectively. Then:
8/r-c=2
8/r+c=1
r+c=8
2r-2c=8
4r=24
r=6
c=2
☺☺☺☺

Answer 2

a = 8, b = 1

or,

a & d