Formulating the Relationship

Oct 13, 2025 by talynt.org 130 views

Introduction

In this article, we will delve into a classic problem involving the speed of a boat in still water and its speed when traveling with and against the current. We will use the relationship between time, speed, and distance to solve for the boat's speed in still water and its speed when traveling with the current.

The Problem

A boat can travel at an average speed of 10 miles per hour in still water. Traveling with the current, it can travel 6 miles in the same amount of time it takes to travel 4 miles upstream. We need to find the speed of the boat when traveling with the current.

Notation

$v_w$ = speed of the boat in still water
$v_c$ = speed of the boat when traveling with the current
$v_u$ = speed of the boat when traveling upstream
$t$ = time taken to travel 4 miles upstream
$d$ = distance traveled

Formulating the Relationship

When the boat travels upstream, its effective speed is reduced due to the opposing force of the current. We can represent this as:

v_u = v_w - v_c

When the boat travels downstream, its effective speed is increased due to the assisting force of the current. We can represent this as:

v_c = v_w + v_{current}

We are given that the boat can travel 6 miles in the same amount of time it takes to travel 4 miles upstream. This means that the time taken to travel 6 miles downstream is equal to the time taken to travel 4 miles upstream. We can represent this as:

\frac{d}{v_c} = \frac{d}{v_u}

Substituting the expressions for $v_u$ and $v_c$ , we get:

\frac{d}{v_w + v_{current}} = \frac{d}{v_w - v_{current}}

Solving for the Speed of the Boat

\frac{6}{v_w + v_{current}} = \frac{4}{v_w - v_{current}}

Cross-multiplying, we get:

6(v_w - v_{current}) = 4(v_w + v_{current})

Expanding and simplifying, we get:

6v_w - 6v_{current} = 4v_w + 4v_{current}

Rearranging the terms, we get:

2v_w = 10v_{current}

Substituting the value of $v_w$ = 10 miles per hour, we get:

2(10) = 10v_{current}

Simplifying, we get:

20 = 10v_{current}

Dividing both sides by 10, we get:

v_{current} = 2

Conclusion

In this article, we used the relationship between time, speed, and distance to solve for the speed of the boat when traveling with the current. We found that the speed of the boat when traveling with the current is 2 miles per hour.

Final Answer

The final answer is 2.

Discussion

This problem is a classic example of a relative motion problem. The speed of the boat when traveling with the current is affected by the speed of the current. We used the relationship between time, speed, and distance to solve for the speed of the boat when traveling with the current.

Solutions

A boat can travel at an average speed of 10 miles per hour in still water. Traveling with the current, it can travel 8 miles in the same amount of time it takes to travel 6 miles upstream. Find the speed of the boat when traveling with the current.

Solution: Using the same method as above, we can find that the speed of the boat when traveling with the current is 3 miles per hour.

A boat can travel at an average speed of 10 miles per hour in still water. Traveling with the current, it can travel 12 miles in the same amount of time it takes to travel 8 miles upstream. Find the speed of the boat when traveling with the current.

Solution: Using the same method as above, we can find that the speed of the boat when traveling with the current is 4 miles per hour.

Conclusion

Q: What is the speed of the boat in still water?

A: The speed of the boat in still water is given as 10 miles per hour.

Q: What is the speed of the boat when traveling with the current?

A: We found that the speed of the boat when traveling with the current is 2 miles per hour.

Q: How do we calculate the speed of the boat when traveling with the current?

A: We use the relationship between time, speed, and distance to calculate the speed of the boat when traveling with the current. We can represent this as:

\frac{d}{v_c} = \frac{d}{v_u}

Substituting the expressions for $v_u$ and $v_c$ , we get:

\frac{d}{v_w + v_{current}} = \frac{d}{v_w - v_{current}}

Q: What is the relationship between the speed of the boat in still water and the speed of the current?

A: We found that the speed of the boat in still water is related to the speed of the current by the equation:

2v_w = 10v_{current}

Q: How do we solve for the speed of the boat when traveling with the current?

A: We can solve for the speed of the boat when traveling with the current by substituting the value of $v_w$ = 10 miles per hour into the equation:

2(10) = 10v_{current}

Simplifying, we get:

20 = 10v_{current}

Dividing both sides by 10, we get:

v_{current} = 2

Q: What are some related problems that we can solve using the same method?

A: Some related problems that we can solve using the same method include:

A boat can travel at an average speed of 10 miles per hour in still water. Traveling with the current, it can travel 8 miles in the same amount of time it takes to travel 6 miles upstream. Find the speed of the boat when traveling with the current.
A boat can travel at an average speed of 10 miles per hour in still water. Traveling with the current, it can travel 12 miles in the same amount of time it takes to travel 8 miles upstream. Find the speed of the boat when traveling with the current.

Q: How do we solve these related problems?

A: We can solve these related problems by using the same method as above. We can represent the relationship between time, speed, and distance as:

\frac{d}{v_c} = \frac{d}{v_u}

Substituting the expressions for $v_u$ and $v_c$ , we get:

\frac{d}{v_w + v_{current}} = \frac{d}{v_w - v_{current}}

We can then solve for the speed of the boat when traveling with the current by substituting the value of $v_w$ = 10 miles per hour into the equation.

Q: What are some real-world applications of this problem?

A: This problem has many real-world applications, including:

Navigation: Knowing the speed of a boat when traveling with the current is essential for navigation.
Transportation: Understanding the relationship between the speed of a boat and the speed of the current is crucial for transportation.
Engineering: This problem has applications in engineering, particularly in the design of boats and other watercraft.

Q: What are some common mistakes to avoid when solving this problem?

A: Some common mistakes to avoid when solving this problem include:

Not using the correct formula for the relationship between time, speed, and distance.
Not substituting the correct values into the equation.
Not simplifying the equation correctly.

Q: How can we use this problem to improve our problem-solving skills?

A: We can use this problem to improve our problem-solving skills by:

Practicing the formula for the relationship between time, speed, and distance.
Substituting different values into the equation to see how it affects the solution.
Simplifying the equation correctly to get the correct solution.