A news van and a helicopter left a TV station parking lot at the same time, but headed in opposite directions. They were covering breaking news stories that were 97 miles apart. If the helicopter had to travel 55 miles farther than the van, how far did the van have to travel to reach the location of the news story?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The van and helicopter together cover 97 miles. If the helicopter travels 55 miles more than the van, let the van's distance be x. Then, the helicopter's distance is x + 55. Therefore, x + (x + 55) = 97. Solving for x gives x = 21 miles.

A News Van and a Helicopter Left a TV Station