A woman can row 36 km downstream in 4 hours and 49 km upstream in 7 hours. What is the speed of the current?
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 4
We know that,
Upstream Speed = Speed of Boat – Speed of current
Downstream Speed = Speed of Boat + Speed of current
Given,
Time taken to row 36 km downstream = 4 hours
Time taken to row 49 km upstream = 7 hours
Now, according to the question,
4 = \(\frac{36}{x + y}\)
and , 7 = \(\frac{49}{x - y}\)
So,
= x + y = 9 and x – y = 7
From these above equation,
= x = 8 km/h
y = 1 km/h