Question

two trains leave the same station at the same time, one traveling east and the other traveling west. At the end of 13 and 1/3 hours they are 1400 miles apart. If the rate of the train traveling east is 7 miles per hour faster than the rate of the other train, find their rates.

Answer 1

Let w equal the speed of the train moving west. The other train is moving east at w+7 miles per hour. Rate times time equal distance.
\[(w+(w+7))*(13+1/3)=1400\]
Solving the above equation for w gives 49mph and 56mph for the west bound train and east bound trains respectively.
\[(49+56)(13+1/3)=1400\]