Solving Rational Equations by

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Solving Rational Equations by
Graphing
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Lets do an example together.
A cyclist travels 10 miles in the same time that
a walker travels 4 miles. The speed of the
cyclist is 6 miles more than the speed of the
walker. Find the speed of the cyclist and the
walker.
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How do you represent the walkers and the
cyclists speed?
Let x walkers speed Let x6 cyclists speed
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Remember to use the formula drt.
Walker
Cyclist

Solve for t
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Using your graphing calculator, graph the
functions and find the intersection.
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Using the x-coordinate of the positive
intersection point, you find the answer.
Why use the positive x-coordinate?
What were the respective speeds of the cyclist
and the walker?
The cyclist speed was 10 mph.
The walkers speed was 4 mph.
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Try this on your own.
A car travels 450 miles in the same time that a
freight truck travels 250 miles. The speed of the
car is 20 mph more than the trucks speed. Find
the speed of the truck and the car.
Car 45 mph Truck 25 mph