Boats Streams

BOATS & STREAMS
EFFECTIVE SPEED
Effective speed is defined as the final
speed of a body influenced by an external
force/speed.
Let's take the instance of riding a bi-cycle
against the wind. Though you pedal harder you
will not be able to travel at the speed of your
pedaling because of the resistance offered by
the wind. Here, the effective speed is the
difference between the speed of the bi-cycle
and that of the wind.
However, when you ride in the direction of
the wind, you benefit from the speed of the
wind. Here, you travel at a speed more than the
speed of your pedaling. Thus the effective speed
becomes the sum of the speeds of the bi-cycle
and the wind.
The concept of effective speed is solely
applied in the topics Boats and Streams and
Escalators.
BOATS AND STREAMS
These problems are governed by the following
results.
• Downstream (along the current) speed (D)
= boat speed (B) + current (stream) speed (C)
• Upstream (against the current) speed (U)
= boat speed – current (stream) speed
• Speed of the boat = average of downstream
and upstream speeds
• Speed of the current = half the difference of
downstream and upstream speeds
Or as formulae,
D=B+C
U=B–C
B = (D + U)/2
C = (D – U)/2
Example:
A boatman goes 2 km against the current of the
stream in 1 hour and goes 1 km along the
current in 10 minutes. How long will it take to go
5 km in stationary water?
Solution:
Rate downstream = 1/10 × 60 km/h = 6 km/h
Rate upstream = 2 km/h
Speed in still water = 1/2(6 + 2) km/h = 4 km/h
Therefore, the required time for 5 km = 5/4hrs =
1 ¼ hrs = 75 min.
Practice Questions:
1. A boat running downstream covers a distance

of 16 km in 2 hours while for covering the same
distance upstream, it takes 4 hours. What is the
speed of the boat in still water?
A. 4 km/hr
B. 6 km/hr
C. 8 km/hr
D. Data inadequate
Ans. B
2. A boat takes a circular route to travel a total
distance of 24 km to reach its initial position. The
speed of the boat in still water is 5 km/hr and the
speed of the stream is 3 km/h. How much time
(in hrs.) does the boat travel upstream and
downstream respectively?
a) 12, 3
b) 3, 12
c) 5, 3
d) 3, 5
Ans: A
3. Boat goes downstream from P to Q in 2hrs,
upstream in 6hrs and if speed of stream is
6kmph, then find the distance PQ
a) 6 km
b) 4 km
c) 10 km
d) 36 km
Ans: D
4. A river runs at 4 km/hr. if the time taken by a
man to row is boat upstream is thrice as the
time taken by him to row it downstream then
find the speed of the boat in still water.
a) 16 km/hr
b) 8 km/hr
c) 6 km/hr
d) 12 km/hr
Ans: B
5. A motorboat whose speed is 15 kmph in still
water goes 30 km downstream and comes back
in a total of 4hrs 30min. What is the speed of
the stream?
a) 5 km/hr
b) 6 km/hr
c) 10 km/hr
d) 12 km/hr
Ans: A
6. A boat sails 15 km of a river towards upstream
in 5 hours. How long will it take to cover the
same distance downstream, if the speed of
current is one-fourth the speed of the boat in
still water:
a) 1.8 h
b) 3 h
c) 4 h
d) 5 h
Ans: B
7. A man can row a certain distance against the
stream in six hours. However, he would take two
hours less to cover the same distance with the
current. If the speed of the current is 2 Kmph,
then what is the speed of the man in still water.
a) 10 kmph
b) 12 kmph
c) 16 kmph
d) 8 kmph
Ans: A
8. A man can row downstream at 12 Kmph and
upstream at 8 Kmph. Find the ratio of the speed
of the current to the speed of the man in still
water?
a) 1 : 5
b) 5 : 4
c) 25 : 16
d) 16 : 25
Ans: A
9. In a stream running at 2 km/h, a motor boat
goes 10 km upstream and returns to the starting
point in 55 minutes. Find the speed (all in km/h)
of the motor boat in still water.
a) 2
b) 11
c) 22
d) None of these
Ans: C
10. The ratio of the speed of the boat in still
water to the speed of the current is 4:1. What is
the ratio of the downstream speed of the boat
to the upstream speed?
a) 2:1
b) 1:1
c) 5:3
d) None of these
Ans: C
11. A boatman rows to a place at a distance 45
km and comes back in 20 hours. He finds that he
can row 12 km with the stream in the same time
as 4 km against the stream. Find the speed of
the stream.
a) 3 km/h
b) 2.5 km/h
c) 4 km/h
d) 3.5 km/h
Ans: A
12. Two boats, travelling at 5 km/h and 10 km/h
respectively, head directly towards each other.
They begin at a distance of 20 km from each
other. How far apart are they (in km) one minute
before they collide?
a) 1/12
b) 1/6
c) 1/4
d) 1/3
Ans: C
13. A man takes twice as long to row a distance
against the stream as to row the same distance
along the stream. The ratio of the speed of the
boat (in still water) and the stream is
a) 2:1
b) 3:1
c) 3:2
d) 4:3
Ans: B
14. The speed of a boat when it travels
downstream is 5 times the speed when it travels
upstream. The speed of the current is what
percent of the speed of the boat in still water?
a) 33 1/4%
b) 50 %
c) 66 2/3%
d) Cannot be determined
Ans: C
15. A man can row 40 km upstream and 55 km
.
downstream in 13 hours. Also, he can row 30 km

upstream and 44 km downstream in 10 hours.
Find the speed of the man in still water ?
A. 3 kmph
B. 8 kmph
C. 5 kmph
D. 11 kmph
Ans. B

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BOATS & STREAMS

1. A boat running downstream covers a distance

downstream in 13 hours. Also, he can row 30 km

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