Multiple choice

A man drives his car on the highway where the speed limit is $60$ kmph. He has to cover a distance of $240$ km at a uniform speed on the road. If he increases his speed by $20$ kmph, he can reach the destination 1 hour earlier. What is his original speed?

  1. $20$ kmph
  2. $5$ kmph
  3. $60$ kmph
  4. $30$ kmph
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

Let original speed be v. Time taken = 240/v. New time = 240/(v+20). Difference = 1 hour. 240/v - 240/(v+20) = 1. 240(v+20 - v) = v(v+20). 4800 = v^2 + 20v. v^2 + 20v - 4800 = 0. (v+80)(v-60) = 0. Original speed is 60 kmph.

AI explanation

Let the original speed be v kmph, so the original time taken is 240 divided by v hours. If the speed increases by 20 kmph, the new time becomes 240 divided by v plus 20 hours, which is 1 hour less than the original time. Setting up the equation, 240 divided by v minus 240 divided by v plus 20 equals 1, and solving yields the quadratic equation v squared plus 20v minus 4800 equals 0. Factoring this equation gives v equals 60 or v equals negative 80, and since speed must be positive, the original speed is 60 kmph.