<p>What was that one math question where it would be like Connor took 60 mins to get from home to school and 50 from school to home. If he traveled at a speed of 40mi/hr, etc...</p>
<p>I have always been confused with that question... Can anyone post an example and explain it to me? :</p>
<p>I will greatly appreciate it!!!</p>
<p>Esther drove to work in the morning at an average speed of 45 mph. She returned home in the evening alone the same route and averaged 30 mph. If Esther spent a total of one hour commuting to and from work, how many miles did Esther drive to work in the morning?</p>
<p>Yeah that one!! Can you give me an explanation on how that works? -.- I can always solve other ones with geometric figures but these wordy ones tire me out =[</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>Those questions almost always add up to an hour of travel time.
Here’s the idea: Every morning Connor rides his bike to school at 8 miles per hour. In the afternoon he rides home at 12 miles per hour. If Connor spends one hour riding to and from school, how far is his house from the school?</p>
<p>You multiply two rates and then divide by the sum of the rates. (8 *12)/ (8 + 12) = 4.8 miles. If they ask the average rate of speed or total distance traveled, you multiply the product of the sums by 2 for the hour traveled or both trips. 2(8 *12)/ (8 + 12)= 9.6 mph.</p>
<p>Thank you so much! I’m always scared that this might be on my test and I won’t be able to answer it!</p>
<p>If it is a multiple choice question, the answer will almost always be the one immediately smaller than the average. In the example of 8 and 12, the average is 10. If they asked total distance or average speed, look for the one closest to the average without going over. If they ask for one way, take half the average and choose the next smaller answer. That way you don’t even have to waste time working the math.</p>
<p>That formula will also work for two men painting a house problems. You know the ones; it takes Jack 4 days and Jim 6 days, how long will it take if they work together? Just remember to convert for hours or minutes. Multiply the answer by however many houses they ask for.</p>
<p>Good luck.</p>