Boats & Streams set 1
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 Check (āĻā§ā§°ā§āϤā§āĻŦāĻĒā§āϰā§āĻŖ āĻŽāύā§āϝā§āĻ)
- Check direction of flow carefully : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ āĻāĻžāϞāĻĻā§°ā§ āĻĒā§°ā§āĻā§āώāĻž āĻā§°āĻ
Golden Rule (āϏā§āύāĻžāϞ⧠āύāĻŋāϝāĻŧāĻŽ)
- 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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MCQ
1. Same Distance Concept (āĻāĻā§āĻ āĻĻā§ā§°āϤā§āĻŦā§° āĻā§āώā§āϤā§ā§°āϤ)
Concept: If distance is same → Time ∝ 1/Speed : āĻĻā§ā§°āϤā§āĻŦ āĻāĻā§ āĻšāϞ⧠→ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻāϤāĻŋā§° āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤāĻŋāĻ
Ex 1: A boat takes 8 hrs upstream and 4 hrs downstream for same distance. Find speed ratio.
Soln
Speed ratio (Down : Up)
= Time (Up : Down)
= 8 : 4 = 2 : 1
āĻāϤāĻŋā§° āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤ = 2 : 1
2. Finding Boat & Stream Speed from Time
Ex 2 : Distance = 30 km, Downstream time = 3 hrs, Upstream time = 5 hrs
Soln
Downstream speed = 30 / 3 = 10 km/h
Upstream speed = 30 / 5 = 6 km/h
Boat speed = (10 + 6) / 2 = 8 km/h : āύāĻžāĻ = 8 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
Stream speed = (10 − 6) / 2 = 2 km/h : āϏā§āĻāϤ = 2 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
3. Floating Object Concept (āĻāĻžāĻāĻšāĻŋ āĻĨāĻāĻž āĻŦāϏā§āϤā§)
Floating objects move with stream speed only : āĻāĻžāĻāĻšāĻŋ āĻĨāĻāĻž āĻŦāϏā§āϤ⧠āĻā§ā§ąāϞ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋā§°ā§ āĻāϞā§
Ex 3 : A leaf travels 12 km in 4 hrs. Find stream speed.
Soln
Stream speed = 12 / 4 = 3 km/h : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ = 3 āĻāĻŋāĻŽāĻŋ/āĻāĻŖā§āĻāĻž
4. Round Trip Concept (āĻāĻā§-āĻĒāĻŋāĻā§ āϝāĻžāϤā§ā§°āĻž)
Boat goes upstream and returns downstream
Ex 4: A boat goes 10 km upstream and comes back in total 5 hrs. Upstream speed = 4 km/h, Downstream speed = 6 km/h
Soln
Time upstream = 10 / 4 = 2.5 hrs
Time downstream = 10 / 6 ≈ 1.67 hrs
Total = 4.17 hrs (check with given), āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āϝā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻŋ āĻŽā§āĻ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āĻŽāĻŋāϞāĻžāĻŦ āϞāĻžāĻā§
5. Time Ratio Trick (āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧā§° āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤ āĻā§āĻļāϞ)
If Upstream : Downstream time = a : b Then Speed ratio = b : a
Ex 5: Time ratio = 3 : 2, Speed ratio = 2 : 3
6. Important Shortcut
If you know: Downstream speed, Upstream speed
Then directly find: Boat speed, Stream speed (Using formulas)
7. Tricky Points
- Floating object → use only stream speed : āĻāĻžāĻāĻšāĻŋ āĻŦāϏā§āϤ⧠→ āĻā§ā§ąāϞ āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻāϤāĻŋ
- Same distance → inverse time relation : āĻāĻā§ āĻĻā§ā§°āϤā§āĻŦ → āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻ āύā§āĻĒāĻžāϤ
- Round trip → add both times : āĻāĻ-āĻĒāĻŋāĻ āϝāĻžāϤā§ā§°āĻž → āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ āϝā§āĻ āĻā§°āĻ
- Always check units
8. Common Exam Trap
If upstream time = downstream time → NOT possible : āĻāĻāϝāĻŧ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļāϤ āĻāĻā§ āϏāĻŽāϝāĻŧ → āĻ āϏāĻŽā§āĻā§ą
Master Trick : (āĻŽāĻžāώā§āĻāĻžā§° āĻā§āĻļāϞ)
Remember:
- Downstream = Fastest : āϏā§āĻāϤ⧰ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ = āĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤāĻā§ āĻĻā§ā§°ā§āϤ
- Upstream = Slowest : āĻŦāĻŋāĻĒā§°ā§āϤ āĻĻāĻŋāĻļ = āĻāĻāĻžāĻāϤāĻā§ āϧā§ā§°