A train leaves a station and travels north at a speed of 175

A train leaves a station and travels north at a speed of 175 mph. Two hours later a second train leaves on a parallel track and travels north at 225 mph. How far from the station will they meet? The trains will meet miles away from the station. (Type an integer or a decimal.)

Solution

The first train leaves the station to travel north at a speed of 175 mph. .The second train leaves the station 2 hours later to travel north on a parallel track at a speed of 225 mph Let the two trains meet x hours after leaving the station. Since distance = time * speed, we have x*175 = (x - 2)* 225 or, 175 x = 225x - 450 or, 225x - 175x = 450 or, 50 x = 450 so that x = 450/5 = 9. In 9 hours, the 1st train will travel a distance of 9 *175 = 1575 miles. Also, in 9 -2 = 7 hours, the second train will travel a distance of 7 * 225 = 1575 miles. Thus, the two trains will meet 1575 miles away from the station.