Question

Mr. Smith is driving from his apartment in Brooklyn to his parents’ house in Rhode Island. Because of traffic getting out of the city, it takes him 2 hours to drive 80 miles into Connecticut. After that, he drives 75 miles per hour for one hour.

a. How far does Mr. Smith drive in the first hour?

Answer 1

Mr. Smith drives 80 miles in the first hour.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how far Mr. Smith drives in the first hour, we need to find out how far he travels during the two-part journey. It takes him 2 hours to drive 80 miles into Connecticut, so his speed is 80 miles / 2 hours = 40 miles per hour. Since he drives at a speed of 75 miles per hour for one hour after that, he travels 75 miles in the second part. Therefore, the total distance he drives is 80 miles + 75 miles = 155 miles.

Since the first hour is part of the two-hour drive into Connecticut, the distance Mr. Smith drives in the first hour is equal to the distance he drives during the two-hour journey, which is 80 miles.