Tom Quig traveled 220 miles east of St. Louis. For most of the trip he averaged 60 mph, but for one period of time he was slowed to 10 mph due to a major accident. If the total time of travel was 7
Hours, how many miles did he drive at the reduced speed?
A)35 miles
B)50 miles
C)60 miles
D)40 miles

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Tom Quig's total travel time was 7 hours. Let's denote the time spent driving at 60 mph as $t$ hours and the time spent driving at 10 mph due to the accident as $7 - t$ hours. The distance covered at 60 mph is $60t$ miles, and the distance covered at 10 mph is $10(7 - t)$ miles. The total distance is 220 miles, so we have the equation:$$60t + 10(7 - t) = 220$$Solving for $t$ gives us the time spent driving at 60 mph, and we can then find the distance driven at the reduced speed:$$60t + 70 - 10t = 220$$$$50t = 150$$$$t = 3$$Substituting $t = 3$ into the distance formula for the reduced speed:$$10(7 - 3) = 10(4) = 40$$ miles.Therefore, Tom drove 40 miles at the reduced speed of 10 mph.

Tom Quig Traveled 220 Miles East of St