2009 AMC 8 Problem 14

Attempt Problem 14 of the 2009 AMC 8 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 2009 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

14.

Austin and Temple are 5050 miles apart along Interstate 35.35. Bonnie drove from Austin to her daughter’s house in Temple, averaging 6060 miles per hour. Leaving the car with her daughter, Bonnie rode a bus back to Austin along the same route and averaged 4040 miles per hour on the return trip. What was the average speed for the round trip, in miles per hour?
4646
4848
5050
5252
5454
Answer: B
Concepts:harmonic meandistance rate and time
Small hint:
Average speed is total distance divided by total time.
Big hint:
The two 5050-mile trips take different amounts of time.
Solution:
The trip from Austin to Temple took 50÷60=5650 \div 60 = \dfrac{5}{6} hours. The trip from Temple to Austin took 50÷40=5450 \div 40 = \dfrac{5}{4} hours. This means that the total time for the round trip was 56+54=2512\dfrac{5}{6} + \dfrac{5}{4} = \dfrac{25}{12} hours.
The total distance of the round trip was 2⋅50=1002 \cdot 50 = 100 miles. Therefore, the average speed for the round trip was 100÷2512=48100 \div \dfrac{25}{12} = 48 miles per hour.
Thus, B is the correct answer.
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