Question

A plane traveled 588 miles each way to Athens and back. The trip there was with the wind. It

took 7 hours. The trip back was into the wind. The trip back took 14 hours. Find the speed of
the plane in still air and the speed of the wind.

Answer 1

The wind speed is 21 miles per hour, and the speed of the plane in still air is 63 miles per hour.

Explanation:

Since a plane traveled 588 miles each way to Athens and back, and the trip there was with the wind and took 7 hours, while the trip back was into the wind and took 14 hours, to find the speed of the plane in still air and the speed of the wind, the following calculations must be performed:

Downwind travel = 588/7 = 84 miles per hour

Headwind travel = 588/14 = 42 miles per hour

84 - 42 = 42/2 = 21

84 - 21 = 63

Therefore, the wind speed is 21 miles per hour, and the speed of the plane in still air is 63 miles per hour.