In still water a boat can travel four times as fast as the current in the river A trip up the river and back which totaled 150 km took 8h Find the speed of the current?
Call the unknown speed of the current c and the speed of the
boat in still water b. When travelling upstream, the net speed of
the boat will be b - c and when travelling downstream the net speed
of the boat will be b + c. Since b = 4c, the speed upstream will be
3c. The distance upstream is one-half the total travelling distance
of 150 km or 75 kilometers. Distance travelled = speed X time at
speed, so that upstream time = 75/3c, downstream time = 75/5c, and
the sum of these is the total time stated to be 8 hours. Thus 75/3c
+ 75/5c = 8. Multiplying both sides by 15c yields 75(5 +3) = 120c,
or c = (8 X 75)/120 = 5 kilometers per hour.