Boats & Streams


Boats & Streams : Basic Concept : āύāĻžāĻ“ āφ⧰⧁ āϏ⧋āρāϤ : āĻŽā§ŒāϞāĻŋāĻ• āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāĻž


Concept (āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāĻž) : “When a boat moves in a river, the speed is affected by the water current.” : “āĻāĻ–āύ āύāĻžāĻ“ āύāĻĻā§€āϤ āϚāϞāĻŋāϞ⧇ āĻĒāĻžāύ⧀⧰ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻŦāĻžāĻŦ⧇ āϤāĻžā§° āĻ—āϤāĻŋ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻ­āĻžā§ąāĻŋāϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧāĨ¤”


Two Important Speeds (āĻĻ⧁āϟāĻž āϗ⧁⧰⧁āĻ¤ā§āĻŦāĻĒā§‚āĻ°ā§āĻŖ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ)



  • Boat speed in still water → Speed of boat : āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻĒāĻžāύ⧀āϤ āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ → āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āύāĻŋāϜāĻž āĻ—āϤāĻŋ

  • Stream speed → Speed of river flow : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ → āύāĻĻ⧀⧰ āĻĒāĻžāύ⧀⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ


Understanding Flow (āĻĒā§ā§°āĻŦāĻžāĻš āĻŦ⧁āϜāĻž)



  • River flow ➝ (stream direction) : āύāĻĻ⧀⧰ āϏ⧋āρāϤ ➝ (āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ)

  • Boat moves in water affected by stream : āύāĻžāĻ“ āĻĒāĻžāύ⧀āϤ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻ­āĻžā§ąāϤ āϚāϞāĻŋ āĻĨāĻžāϕ⧇



Types of Motion (āĻ—āϤāĻŋā§° āϧ⧰āĻŖ)


Downstream (āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ⧇)


“When the boat moves in the direction of the stream.” : “āϝ⧇āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāĻžāĻ“ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āϚāϞ⧇āĨ¤”


Formula (āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§ā§°): Downstream Speed = Boat Speed + Stream Speed : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ + āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ


Boat moves faster : āύāĻžāĻ“ āĻĻā§ā§°ā§āϤ āĻšāϝāĻŧ


Upstream (āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ⧇)


“When the boat moves opposite to the stream.” : “āϝ⧇āϤāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻž āύāĻžāĻ“ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āϚāϞ⧇āĨ¤”


Formula (āϏ⧂āĻ¤ā§ā§°): Upstream Speed = Boat Speed − Stream Speed : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ − āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ


Boat moves slower : āύāĻžāĻ“ āϧ⧀⧰⧇ āϚāϞ⧇


Example (āωāĻĻāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŖ)



  • Boat speed (still water) = 20 km/h : āĻ¸ā§āĻĨāĻŋā§° āĻĒāĻžāύ⧀āϤ āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = 20 āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž

  • Stream speed = 4 km/h : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = 4 āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž


Downstream speed = 20 + 4 = 24 km/h : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = 24 āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž


Upstream speed = 20 − 4 = 16 km/h : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = 16 āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž


Exam Trick (āĻĒā§°ā§€āĻ•ā§āώāĻžā§° āĻ•ā§ŒāĻļāϞ)


Boat Speed (Still Water) = (Downstream + Upstream) ÷ 2 : āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = (āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ + āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ) ÷ 2


Stream Speed = (Downstream − Upstream) ÷ 2 : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = (āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ − āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ) ÷ 2


Common Mistakes (āϏāĻžāϧāĻžā§°āĻŖ āϭ⧁āϞ)



  • Confusing upstream and downstream : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āφ⧰⧁ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āĻ—ā§‹āϟāĻžāχ āĻĒ⧇āĻ˛ā§‹ā§ąāĻž

  • Forgetting to add or subtract stream speed : āϝ⧋āĻ— āĻŦāĻž āĻŦāĻŋāϝāĻŧā§‹āĻ— āϕ⧰āĻŋāĻŦāϞ⧈ āĻĒāĻžāĻšā§°āĻŋ āĻ¯ā§‹ā§ąāĻž

  • Unit conversion errors (km/h, m/s) : āĻāĻ•āĻ• āϏāϞāύāĻŋā§° āϭ⧁āϞ (āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž, āĻŽāĻŋ/āϛ⧇āϕ⧇āĻŖā§āĻĄ)


Important Notes: Check direction of flow carefully : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āĻ­āĻžāϞāĻĻ⧰⧇ āĻĒā§°ā§€āĻ•ā§āώāĻž āϕ⧰āĻ•



  • Downstream → ADD speeds : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ → āĻ—āϤāĻŋ āϝ⧋āĻ— āϕ⧰āĻ•

  • Upstream → SUBTRACT speeds : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ → āĻ—āϤāĻŋ āĻŦāĻŋāϝāĻŧā§‹āĻ— āϕ⧰āĻ•


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Boats & Streams – Part 2


Advanced + Tricky Problems : āωāĻ¨ā§āύāϤ āφ⧰⧁ āϜāϟāĻŋāϞ āĻĒā§ā§°āĻļā§āύāϏāĻŽā§‚āĻš


1. When Distance is Same (āϏāĻŽā§Ÿ āϤ⧁āϞāύāĻž)


Concept (āϧāĻžā§°āĻŖāĻž): If distance is same, speed and time are inversely proportional : āĻĻā§‚ā§°āĻ¤ā§āĻŦ āĻāϕ⧇ āĻšāϞ⧇, āĻ—āϤāĻŋ āφ⧰⧁ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āϏāĻŽāĻžāύ⧁āĻĒāĻžāϤāĻŋāĻ•


Formula: Speed₁ × Time₁ = Speed₂ × Time₂


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 (āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ 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 : āύāĻžāϓ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = 5 āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž
Stream speed = (6 − 4) / 2 = 1 km/h : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ = 1 āĻ•āĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āϘāĻŖā§āϟāĻž


3. Relative Speed Concept (āφāĻĒ⧇āĻ•ā§āώāĻŋāĻ• āĻ—āϤāĻŋ)


Downstream = Boat + Stream : āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ = āύāĻžāĻ“ + āϏ⧋āρāϤ
Upstream = Boat − Stream : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ = āύāĻžāĻ“ − āϏ⧋āρāϤ


4. When Boat Meets Floating Object (āĻ—āĻ›/āĻĒāĻžāϤ⧰ āϏāĻŽāĻ¸ā§āϝāĻž)


Concept: Floating object moves with stream speed only : āĻ­āĻžāρāĻšāĻŋ āĻĨāĻ•āĻž āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āϤ⧁ (āĻĒāĻžāϤ, āĻ•āĻžāĻ ) āĻ•ā§‡ā§ąāϞ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ⧰⧇ āϚāϞ⧇


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 : āωāĻ­āϝāĻŧ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāϕ⧇ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āϞāĻžāĻ—āĻŋāϞ⧇ → āϏāĻŽā§āĻ­ā§ą āύāĻšāϝāĻŧ


6. When Time Ratio is Given


Ex 4 : Upstream time : Downstream time = 3 : 2 : āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧā§° āĻ…āύ⧁āĻĒāĻžāϤ 3:2 → āĻ—āϤāĻŋā§° āĻ…āύ⧁āĻĒāĻžāϤ 2:3


Speed ratio = 2 : 3


7. Common Tricky Points



  • Floating object → use only stream speed : āĻ­āĻžāρāĻšāĻŋ āĻŦāĻ¸ā§āϤ⧁ → āĻ•ā§‡ā§ąāϞ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻ•

  • Same distance → use inverse time ratio : āĻāϕ⧇ āĻĻā§‚ā§°āĻ¤ā§āĻŦ → āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§€āϤ āĻ…āύ⧁āĻĒāĻžāϤ āĻŦā§āĻ¯ā§ąāĻšāĻžā§° āϕ⧰āĻ•

  • Always check units (km/h, m/s) : āĻāĻ•āĻ• āϏāĻ āĻŋāĻ• āϕ⧰āĻ•

  • Never mix upstream & downstream formulas


Master Trick (āĻŽāĻžāĻˇā§āϟāĻžā§° āĻ•ā§ŒāĻļāϞ)


If you know upstream & downstream speeds, you can Always find: i. Boat speed & ii. Stream speed 


Upstream āφ⧰⧁ Downstream āϜāĻžāύāĻŋāϞ⧇ → āύāĻžāĻ“ āφ⧰⧁ āϏ⧋āρāϤ⧰ āĻ—āϤāĻŋ āϏāĻšāĻœā§‡ āĻĒāĻžāĻŦ