Question

Two executives fly towards each other for a meeting. The first jet goes 320 mph, while the second goes 375 mph. If they started from opposite coasts 3100 miles apart, how long will it take them to meet?
Round to the nearest tenth if necessary.


9.7 hours

8.3 hours

2.2 hours

4.5 hours

Answer 1

Let us imagine the planes on a coordinate axis, with the first plane starting at \(x_1=0\) and the second plane starting at \(x_2=3100\). Let the time from departure be \(t\). Thus, the positions are given as a function of time as follows.\[x_1=v_1t\]\[x_2=3100-v_2t\]Here, \(v_1\) and \(v_2\) are the speeds. They will meet up at the point when we have \(x_1=x_2\). Use those equations to find out the value of \(t\) at that time (which will give you when this occurs).