Boats & Streams
Boats & Streams : Basic Concept : āύāĻžāĻ āĻā§°ā§ āϏā§āĻāϤ : āĻŽā§āϞāĻŋāĻ āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāĻž
Concept (āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāĻž) : “When a boat moves in a river, the speed is affected by the water current.” : “āĻāĻāύ āύāĻžāĻ āύāĻĻā§āϤ āĻāϞāĻŋāϞ⧠āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻŦāĻžāĻŦā§ āϤāĻžā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāĻžā§ąāĻŋāϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤”
Two Important Speeds (āĻĻā§āĻāĻž āĻā§ā§°ā§āϤā§āĻŦāĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ āĻāϤāĻŋ)
- Boat speed in still water → Speed of boat : āϏā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§āϤ āύāĻžāĻā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ → āύāĻžāĻā§° āύāĻŋāĻāĻž āĻāϤāĻŋ
- Stream speed → Speed of river flow : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ → āύāĻĻā§ā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§ā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ
Understanding Flow (āĻĒā§ā§°āĻŦāĻžāĻš āĻŦā§āĻāĻž)
- River flow â (stream direction) : āύāĻĻā§ā§° āϏā§āĻāϤ â (āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ)
- Boat moves in water affected by stream : āύāĻžāĻ āĻĒāĻžāύā§āϤ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻāĻžā§ąāϤ āĻāϞāĻŋ āĻĨāĻžāĻā§
Types of Motion (āĻāϤāĻŋā§° āϧ⧰āĻŖ)
Downstream (āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļā§)
“When the boat moves in the direction of the stream.” : “āϝā§āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāĻžāĻ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāϞā§āĨ¤”
Formula (āϏā§āϤā§ā§°): Downstream Speed = Boat Speed + Stream Speed : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāϤāĻŋ = āύāĻžāĻā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ + āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ
Boat moves faster : āύāĻžāĻ āĻĻā§ā§°ā§āϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ
Upstream (āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤā§)
“When the boat moves opposite to the stream.” : “āϝā§āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāĻžāĻ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāϞā§āĨ¤”
Formula (āϏā§āϤā§ā§°): Upstream Speed = Boat Speed − Stream Speed : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻāϤāĻŋ = āύāĻžāĻā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ − āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ
Boat moves slower : āύāĻžāĻ āϧā§ā§°ā§ āĻāϞā§
Example (āĻāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ)
- Boat speed (still water) = 20 km/h : āϏā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻĒāĻžāύā§āϤ āύāĻžāĻā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ = 20 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
- Stream speed = 4 km/h : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ = 4 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
Downstream speed = 20 + 4 = 24 km/h : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāϤāĻŋ = 24 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
Upstream speed = 20 − 4 = 16 km/h : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāϤāĻŋ = 16 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
Exam Trick (āĻĒā§°ā§āĻā§āώāĻžā§° āĻā§āĻļāϞ)
Boat Speed (Still Water) = (Downstream + Upstream) ÷ 2 : āύāĻžāĻā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ = (āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ + āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ) ÷ 2
Stream Speed = (Downstream − Upstream) ÷ 2 : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ = (āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ − āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ) ÷ 2
Common Mistakes (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āĻā§āϞ)
- Confusing upstream and downstream : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āĻā§°ā§ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āĻā§āĻāĻžāĻ āĻĒā§āϞā§ā§ąāĻž
- Forgetting to add or subtract stream speed : āϝā§āĻ āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻŋāϝāĻŧā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻŋāĻŦāϞ⧠āĻĒāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŋ āϝā§ā§ąāĻž
- Unit conversion errors (km/h, m/s) : āĻāĻāĻ āϏāϞāύāĻŋā§° āĻā§āϞ (āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž, āĻŽāĻŋ/āĻā§āĻā§āĻŖā§āĻĄ)
Important Notes: Check direction of flow carefully : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āĻāĻžāϞāĻĻā§°ā§ āĻĒā§°ā§āĻā§āώāĻž āĻā§°āĻ
- Downstream → ADD speeds : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ → āĻāϤāĻŋ āϝā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻ
- Upstream → SUBTRACT speeds : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ → āĻāϤāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāϝāĻŧā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻ
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Boats & Streams – Part 2
Advanced + Tricky Problems : āĻāύā§āύāϤ āĻā§°ā§ āĻāĻāĻŋāϞ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻļā§āύāϏāĻŽā§āĻš
1. When Distance is Same (āϏāĻŽā§ āϤā§āϞāύāĻž)
Concept (āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāĻž): If distance is same, speed and time are inversely proportional : āĻĻā§ā§°āϤā§āĻŦ āĻāĻā§ āĻšāϞā§, āĻāϤāĻŋ āĻā§°ā§ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āϏāĻŽāĻžāύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤāĻŋāĻ
Formula: Speedâ × Timeâ = Speedâ × Timeâ
Ex 1
A boat takes 6 hours downstream and 10 hours upstream for same distance. Find ratio of speeds.
Downstream : Upstream
= Time upstream : Time downstream = 10 : 6 = 5 : 3 (āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ = 10 : 6 = 5 : 3)
2. Finding Boat & Stream Speed from Time
Ex 2. A boat takes 4 hrs downstream and 6 hrs upstream. Distance = 24 km
Downstream speed = 24 / 4 = 6 km/h
Upstream speed = 24 / 6 = 4 km/h
Boat speed = (6 + 4) / 2 = 5 km/h : āύāĻžāĻā§° āĻāϤāĻŋ = 5 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
Stream speed = (6 − 4) / 2 = 1 km/h : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ = 1 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
3. Relative Speed Concept (āĻāĻĒā§āĻā§āώāĻŋāĻ āĻāϤāĻŋ)
Downstream = Boat + Stream : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ = āύāĻžāĻ + āϏā§āĻāϤ
Upstream = Boat − Stream : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ = āύāĻžāĻ − āϏā§āĻāϤ
4. When Boat Meets Floating Object (āĻāĻ/āĻĒāĻžāϤ⧰ āϏāĻŽāϏā§āϝāĻž)
Concept: Floating object moves with stream speed only : āĻāĻžāĻāĻšāĻŋ āĻĨāĻāĻž āĻŦāϏā§āϤ⧠(āĻĒāĻžāϤ, āĻāĻžāĻ ) āĻā§ā§ąāϞ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋā§°ā§ āĻāϞā§
Ex 3: A boat goes 10 km upstream and comes back. Total time = 5 hrs. A log takes 5 hrs to travel 10 km. Find stream speed.
Stream speed = Distance / Time = 10 / 5 = 2 km/h
5. Shortcut Trick Questions
Case 1:
If downstream speed = 18 km/h and upstream = 6 km/h
Boat speed = (18 + 6)/2 = 12 km/h
Stream speed = (18 − 6)/2 = 6 km/h
Case 2:
If boat takes equal time upstream & downstream → Impossible : āĻāĻāϝāĻŧ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāĻā§ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āϞāĻžāĻāĻŋāϞ⧠→ āϏāĻŽā§āĻā§ą āύāĻšāϝāĻŧ
6. When Time Ratio is Given
Ex 4 : Upstream time : Downstream time = 3 : 2 : āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧā§° āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤ 3:2 → āĻāϤāĻŋā§° āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤ 2:3
Speed ratio = 2 : 3
7. Common Tricky Points
- Floating object → use only stream speed : āĻāĻžāĻāĻšāĻŋ āĻŦāϏā§āϤ⧠→ āĻā§ā§ąāϞ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻā§°āĻ
- Same distance → use inverse time ratio : āĻāĻā§ āĻĻā§ā§°āϤā§āĻŦ → āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āĻā§°āĻ
- Always check units (km/h, m/s) : āĻāĻāĻ āϏāĻ āĻŋāĻ āĻā§°āĻ
- Never mix upstream & downstream formulas
Master Trick (āĻŽāĻžāώā§āĻāĻžā§° āĻā§āĻļāϞ)
If you know upstream & downstream speeds, you can Always find: i. Boat speed & ii. Stream speed
Upstream āĻā§°ā§ Downstream āĻāĻžāύāĻŋāϞ⧠→ āύāĻžāĻ āĻā§°ā§ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ āϏāĻšāĻā§ āĻĒāĻžāĻŦ