Distance Problem

1. A bus traveling at an average rate of 50 kilometers per hour made the trip to town in 6
hours. If it had traveled at 45 kilometers per hour, how many more minutes would it have
taken to make the trip?

Solution:
Step 1: Set up a rtd table.
r t d
Case 1      
Case 2      

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question.

A bus traveling at an average rate of 50 kilometers per hour made the trip to town in 6 hours. If it
had traveled at 45 kilometers per hour, how many more minutes would it have taken to make the
trip?

Let t = time to make the trip in Case 2.

r t d

Case 1 50 6  

Case 2 45 t  

Step 3: Fill in the values for d using the formula d = rt

r t d

Case 1 50 6 50 × 6 = 300

Case 2 45 t 45t
Step 4: Since the distances traveled in both cases are the same, we get the equation:

45t = 300

Isolate variable t

Step 5: Beware - the question asked for “how many more minutes would it have taken to make
the trip”, so we need to deduct the original 6 hours taken.

Answer: The time taken would have been 40 minutes longer.

2. A bus and a car leave the same place and traveled in opposite directions. If the bus is
traveling at 50 mph and the car is traveling at 55 mph, in how many hours will they be
210 miles apart?

Solution:
Step 1: Set up a rtd table.

r t d

bus      

car      

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question.

If the bus is traveling at 50 mph and the car is traveling at 55 mph, in how many hours
will they be 210 miles apart?
Let t = time when they are 210 miles apart.
 r t d

bus 50 t  

car 55 t

Step 3: Fill in the values for d using the formula d = rt

r t d

bus 50 t 50t

car 55 t 55t

Step 4: Since the total distance is 210, we get the equation:

50t + 55t = 210

105t = 210
Isolate variable t

Answer: They will be 210 miles apart in 2 hours.

3. John took a drive to town at an average rate of 40 mph. In the evening, he drove back at
30 mph. If he spent a total of 7 hours traveling, what is the distance traveled by John?

Solution:
Step 1: Set up a rtd table.

r t d

Case 1      
Case 2      

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question.

John took a drive to town at an average rate of 40 mph. In the evening, he drove back at
30 mph. If he spent a total of 7 hours traveling, what is the distance traveled by John?
Let t = time to travel to town.
7 – t = time to return from town.

r t d

Case 1 40 t  

Case 2 30 7 –t  

Step 3: Fill in the values for d using the formula d = rt

r t d

Case 1 40 t 40t

Case 2 30 7–t 30(7 – t)

Step 4: Since the distances traveled in both cases are the same, we get the equation:
40t = 30(7 – t)
Use distributive property
40t = 210 – 30t
Isolate variable t
40t + 30t = 210
70t = 210
 Step 5: The distance traveled by John to town is
40t = 120
The distance traveled by John to go back is also 120
So, the total distance traveled by John is 240

Answer: The distance traveled by John is 240 miles.

4. A train leaves a train station at 1 p.m. It travels at an average rate of 60 mi/h. A high-
speed train leaves the same station an hour later. It travels at an average rate of 96 mi/h.
The second train follows the same route as the first train on a track parallel to the first. In
how many hours will the second train catch up with the first train?

5. Noya drives into the city to buy a software program at a computer store. Because of
traffic conditions, she averages only 15 mi/h. On her drive home she averages 35 mi/h. If
the total travel time is 2 hours, how long does it take her to drive to the computer store?
6. Jane and Peter leave their home traveling in opposite directions on a straight road. Peter
drives 15 mi/h faster than Jane. After 3 hours, they are 225 miles apart. Find Peter's rate
and Jane's rate.

7. Mike’s boat goes 12 miles per hour in still water. Find the rate
of the current of the river if he can go 21 miles downstream in
 the same amount of time he can go 15 miles upstream.

8. Margie began her workout by walking 4 miles and then she

rode her bike for 20 miles. The total time for her workout was
3 hours. Find her speed on the bike if she rode her bike 9 miles
per hour faster than she walked.
9. Mary can drive her car 120 miles on a mountain road in the
same amount of time it takes to drive 156 miles on the freeway.
Find her freeway speed if she can drive 15 miles per hour
faster on the freeway than she can drive on a mountain road.

10. An airplane can fly 550 miles with the wind in the same amount
of time it takes to fly 425 miles against the wind. Find the speed
of the wind, if the airplane is flying at a constant speed of 195
miles per hour.
Age Problem

1. John is twice as old as his friend Peter. Peter is 5 years older than Alice. In 5 years, John
will be three times as old as Alice. How old is Peter now?

Solution:

Step 1: Set up a table.

  age now age in 5 yrs

John    

Peter    

Alice    

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question.

John is twice as old as his friend Peter. Peter is 5 years older than Alice. In 5 years, John will be
three times as old as Alice. How old is Peter now?

Let x be Peter’s age now. Add 5 to get the ages in 5 yrs.

  age now age in 5 yrs

John 2x 2x + 5

Peter x x+5

Alice x–5 x–5+5

Write the new relationship in an equation using the ages in 5 yrs.

In 5 years, John will be three times as old as Alice.

2x + 5 = 3(x – 5 + 5)
2x + 5 = 3x
Isolate variable x
x=5

Answer: Peter is now 5 years old.

2. John’s father is 5 times older than John and John is twice as old as his sister Alice. In two
years’ time, the sum of their ages will be 58. How old is John now?

Solution:
Step 1: Set up a table.
age now age in 2 yrs
John’s father    
John    
Alice    

Step 2: Fill in the table with information given in the question.

John’s father is 5 times older than John and John is twice as old as his sister Alice. In two years’
time, the sum of their ages will be 58. How old is John now?
Let x be John’s age now. Add 2 to get the ages in 2 yrs.
age now age in 2 yrs
John’s father 5x 5x + 2
John x x+2
Alice

Write the new relationship in an equation using the ages in 2 yrs.

In two years’ time, the sum of their ages will be 58.

Answer: John is now 8 years old.

 3. Karen is twice as old as Lori. Three years from now, the sum of their ages will be 42.
How old is Karen?

One-variable solution:

We'll let Lori's age be x. We can set up a chart:

now in 3 years
Karen 2x 2x + 3
Lori x x + 3
The sum of their ages in 3 years will be 42, so we have:
(2x + 3) + (x + 3) = 42
3x + 6 = 42
3x = 36
x = 12
If Lori is 12, Karen is 24; in three years they will be 15 and 27, and the sum of their ages
will be 42.

4. Al's father is 45. He is 15 years older than twice Al's age. How old is Al?
We can begin by assigning a variable to what we're asked to find. Here this is Al's age, so let Al's
age = x.
We also know from the information given in the problem that 45 is 15 more than twice Al's age.
How can we translate this from words into mathematical symbols? What is twice Al's age?
Well, Al's age is x, so twice Al's age is 2x, and 15 more than twice Al's age is 15 + 2x. That
equals 45, right? Now we have an equation in terms of one variable that we can solve for x: 45 =
15 + 2x.
original statement of the problem:  45 = 15 + 2x
subtract 15 from each side: 30 = 2x
divide both sides by 2: 15 = x
Since x is Al's age and x = 15, this means that Al is 15 years old.
It's always a good idea to check our answer:
twice Al's age is 2 x 15:  30
15 more than 30 is 15 + 30:  45
This should be the age of Al's father, and it is.

5. The present age of Jacob’s father is three times that of Jacob. After 5 years, sum of their
ages would be 70 years. Find their present ages.

Solution :
 Let Jacob’s age = x years

His fathers’s age = 3x years

After 5 years

Jacob’s age = x + 5

Father’s age = 3x + 5

Sum of their age = 70

X + 5 + 3x + 5 = 70

4x + 10 = 70

4x = 60

X = 15

Jacob’s age = 15 years and his father’s age = 3(15) = 45 years

6. After 15 years, Ariel’s age will become four times that of her present age. Find her age.

Solution :
Let Ariel’s present age = x years

After 15 years, her age = x + 15

X + 15 = 4x

X – 4x = -15
-3x = -15

X=5

Ariel’s present age = 5 years.

7. John’s mother’s age is 5 years more than the three times of John’s present age. Find
John’s present age, if his mother is 44 years old.

Solution :

Let John’s age = x year

Then 3 x + 5 = 44
 Or 3 x = 44 – 5 = 39

Or x = 13 years

John’s present age = 13 years.

8. The present ages of Deklerk and Saniya are in the ratio 3:4. Five years from now, the
ratio of their ages will be 4:5. Find their present ages.

Solution :
Let the present age of Deklerk and Saniya be 3x and 4x years respectively.

After 5 years,

Deklerk's age = 3x + 5

Saniya's age = 4x + 5

According to the question

(3x + 5) / (4x + 5) = 4 /5

⇒ 5 (3x + 5) = 4 (4x + 5) [ Cross multiplication]

⇒ 15x + 25 = 16x + 20

⇒ 15x - 16x = 20 -25

⇒ -x = -5

⇒x=5

∴ Deklerk's present age = 3x = 3(5) = 15 years

and Saniya's age = 4x = 4(5) = 20 years.

9. Phil is Tom's father. Phil is 35 years old. Three years ago, Phil was four times as old as
his son was then. How old is Tom now?

First, circle what it is you must ultimately find— how old is Tom now? Therefore, let t be Tom's
age now. Then three years ago, Tom's age would be t – 3. Four times Tom's age three years ago
would be 4(t – 3). Phil's age three years ago would be 35 – 3 = 32. A simple chart may also be
helpful.

Now 3 years ago

Phil 35 32

Tom T t-3

Now, use the problem to set up an equation.

Therefore, Tom is now 11.

10. Lisa is 16 years younger than Kathy. If the sum of their ages is 30, how old is Lisa?

First, circle what you must find— how old is Lisa? Let Lisa equal x. Therefore, Kathy is x + 16.
(Note that since Lisa is 16 years younger than Kathy, you must add 16 years to Lisa to denote
Kathy's age.) Now, use the problem to set up an equation.
Therefore, Lisa is 7 years old.