A man can row 30 km downstream and 20 km upstream in 4 hours. He can row 45 km downstream and 40 km upstream in 7 hours. Find the speed of man in still water?
Correct answer: D. 12.5 kmph
- A. 15 kmph
- B. 10 kmph
- C. 12 kmph
- D. 12.5 kmph
- E. None of these
Explanation
Let the downstream and upstream speeds be x km/hr and y km/hr. The equations are 30 km/x km/hr + 20 km/y km/hr = 4 hours and 45 km/x km/hr + 40 km/y km/hr = 7 hours; solving gives x = 15 km/hr and y = 10 km/hr. Therefore, the still-water speed is (15 km/hr + 10 km/hr) ÷ 2 = 12.5 km/hr. The likely mistake is option b, 10 km/hr, which is the upstream speed rather than the still-water speed.
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