Question

1. some boats were traveling up and down a river. a satellite recorded the movements of several boats.

a. a motor boat traveled -3.4 miles per hour for 0.75 hours. how far did it go?
b. a tugboat traveled -1.5 miles in 0.3 hours. what was its velocity?
c. what do you think that negative distances and velocities could mean in this situation?

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate distance (motor boat)

Distance = velocity × time
$\text{Distance} = -3.4 \times 0.75$

Step2: Compute the value

$\text{Distance} = -2.55$

Step3: Calculate velocity (tugboat)

Velocity = $\frac{\text{distance}}{\text{time}}$
$\text{Velocity} = \frac{-1.5}{0.3}$

Step4: Compute the value

$\text{Velocity} = -5$

Answer:

a. -2.55 miles
b. -5 miles per hour
c. Negative distances and velocities indicate the boats are traveling upriver (against the river's current), while positive values would mean traveling downriver (with the current). The negative sign represents the direction opposite to a defined positive direction (e.g., downriver as positive).