An airplane flies from Boston to San Francisco (a distance of 5000 km) in the mo

Question

An airplane flies from Boston to San Francisco (a distance of 5000 km) in the morning, then immediately returns to Boston. The speed of the plane relative to the air is 241 m/s. The wind is blowing at 45 m/s from west to east, so it is "in the face" of the plane on the way to San Francisco and it is a tail wind on the way back.
(a) What is the average speed of the plane relative to the ground on the way to San Francisco?
m/s

(b) What is the average speed relative to the ground on the way back to Boston?
m/s

(c) What is the average speed for the entire trip?
m/s

Explanation / Answer

The average speed of the plane relative to the ground would
just be 241 m/s - 45 m/s = 196 m/s

The speed on the way back would just be 241 m/s + 45m/s = 286 m/s

To find the average speed, it would be (2(196)*(286))/(196+286)
Which should be 232.8468 m/s

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