Complete question:
Two bicycle riders start from the same point and ride in opposite directions. Rider x moves twice as fast as rider y and in three hours they are 72 miles apart. Find the rate (speed) of each rider.
Answer:
y = 8 miles/hour
x = 16 miles/hour
Step-by-step explanation:
We can solve this question by first setting up the following equations:
Rider x travels twice as fast as rider y:
x = 2*y - Equation 1
In three hours they are 72 miles apart:
3*x + 3*y = 72 -Equation 2
Solving equations 1 and 2 simultaneously we get:
y = 8 miles/hour
x = 16 miles/hour
This question is done simply by writing down the question statements as equations. This can be seen being done in Equation 1 and Equation 2 above.