Example 3

Suppose two brothers who live 55 miles apart decide to have lunch together. To prevent either brother from driving the entire distance, they agree to leave their homes at the same time, drive toward each other, and meet somewhere along the route. The older brother drives cautiously at an average speed of 60 miles per hour. The younger brother drives faster, at an average speed of 70 mph, but still within the speed limit. How long will it take the brothers to meet each other?

[list=1] [*]Read the problem statement carefully. [*]Reread the scenario and list the known quantities. [*]Read the statement again, identifying the unknown quantity or variable. [*]Create an equation from the known quantities and variable(s). [*]Solve the equation for the variable. [*]Interpret the solution in the context of the problem and convert to the appropriate units if necessary. [/list] This applet is provided by Walch Education as supplemental material for their mathematics programs. Visit [url="http://www.walch.com"]www.walch.com[/url] for more information on their resources.