Algebra 1 word problem help, please?
It took 3 hours for a plane, flying against the wind, to travel 900 miles from Alabama to Minnesota. The "ground speed" of the plane is 300 miles per hour. On the return trip, the flight only took 2 hours with a ground speed of 450 miles per hour. During both flights, the speed and the direction of the wind were the same. The plane's speed decreases or increases as the verbal model shows:
Speed In Still Air--Wind Speed =Ground Speed Against Wind
Speed In Still Air+Wind Speed=Ground Speed With Wind
a. Assign labels to the verbal model above. Use labels to translate the verbal model into a system of linear equations. (Huh? What labels?)
b. Solve the linear system.
c. What was the speed of the plane in still air? What was the speed of the wind?
I really have NO idea...please show all work and explanations. I like to understand what I'm doing!
Comments
Plane speed decrease in the first case and increase in second case
let x = speed in still air
y = wind speed
a) x - y = 300
x + y = 450
b) by adding 2 eqn 2x=750
x=375
sub x=375 to first eqn, y = 75
c) speed of the plane in still air is 375mph
wind speed 75mph