A train travels a distance of 600 km at a constant speed. If the speed...
**Problem Analysis**
Let's denote the original speed of the train as 'x' km/h and the increased speed as 'x + 5' km/h.
The distance traveled by the train is given as 600 km.
We are given that if the speed is increased by 5 km/h, the journey would take 4 hours less. We can use this information to form an equation.
**Solution**
Let's assume that the original journey takes 't' hours.
The time taken to travel a distance at a constant speed can be calculated using the formula:
Time = Distance/Speed
So, the time taken for the original journey is:
t = 600/x
Now, if the speed is increased by 5 km/h, the time taken would be 't - 4' hours. We can use the same formula to calculate the time:
t - 4 = 600/(x + 5)
Now we have two equations:
t = 600/x
t - 4 = 600/(x + 5)
We can solve these equations to find the value of 'x'.
**Solving the Equations**
Let's solve the equations step by step:
From the first equation, we can write t = 600/x and substitute it into the second equation:
600/x - 4 = 600/(x + 5)
Now, let's cross multiply to eliminate the fractions:
600(x + 5) - 4x(x + 5) = 0
Expanding the equation:
600x + 3000 - 4x^2 - 20x = 0
Rearranging the terms:
4x^2 + 20x - 600x - 3000 = 0
Simplifying:
4x^2 - 580x - 3000 = 0
Now, we can solve this quadratic equation using the quadratic formula:
x = (-b ± √(b^2 - 4ac)) / (2a)
For our equation, a = 4, b = -580, and c = -3000.
Calculating the discriminant:
√(b^2 - 4ac) = √((-580)^2 - 4(4)(-3000)) = √(336400 + 48000) = √384400 = 620
Now, substituting the values into the quadratic formula:
x = (-(-580) ± 620) / (2 * 4)
Simplifying:
x = (580 ± 620) / 8
x = (580 + 620) / 8 or x = (580 - 620) / 8
x = 1200 / 8 or x = -40 / 8
x = 150 or x = -5
Since speed cannot be negative, we discard the negative value.
Therefore, the speed of the train is 150 km/h.