Two airplanes leave at the same time from airports that are 880 miles apart from each other. If one plane travels 126 miles per hour faster than the other and they pass each other in 2 hours, how fast is each plane traveling?

Solution

Tw o ai r pl an es l e a v e a t t h e s am e t im e f ro m ai r p or t s t ha t a re 880 mi l es a p a r t f ro m e a c h o t h er . I f o n e pl an e t r a v e l s 126 mi l es p er h o u r f a s t er t han t h e o t h er an d t h ey p a ss e a c h o t h er in 2 h o u rs, h o w f a s t i s e a c h pl an e t r a v e l in g ?

first plan e^{'} s speed : 283

second plan e^{'} s speed : 157

Solution steps

Translate the problem into an equation:

x \cdot 2 + (x - 126) \cdot 2 = 880

Solve for

x, x \cdot 2 + (x - 126) \cdot 2 = 880 : x = 283

Find speed

first plan e^{'} s speed : 283

second plan e^{'} s speed : 157