Question

The round trip flight took 3.9 h flying time. The plane traveled the 510 mi to the city at 255 mi/h with no wind. How strong was the wind on the return flight? Was the wind a head or tail wind?

Answer 1

Let x= speed in mph on the return flight.510/x=time     distace/rate=timeNow to figure time for the first half of the flight.  distance =510 miles, rate was given as 255 mph.  time=510/255 = 2 hours for the first half.  Time for the round triip is given as 3.9h.  Subtract 2 and you find the time for the return trip.3.9-2=1.9.  Since this is less time for the first part you can answer part of problem now.  The wind was a tail wind.Now to the equation 510/x=1.9.1.9x=510x=268.421 mph