Boats and Streams

❑ General terms:
❑ 1) Still water: The water of a river or any other water body which is
not flowing is known as still water.
❑ 2) Stream: It is the flowing water of a river which is moving at a
certain speed.
❑ 3) Upstream: The boat or a swimmer moving against the stream is
known as moving upstream i.e. against the flow of water.
❑ 4) Downstream: The boat or a swimmer moving along the stream is
known as moving downstream i.e. along the flow of water.

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 Points to remember:

❑ 1) If the speed of the boat or swimmer is X km/hr and the speed of

the stream is Y km/hr,
The speed of the boat or swimmer in the direction of the stream is
known as speed downstream. It is given by;
❑ Speed downstream= (X+Y) km/hr
And, the speed of the boat or swimmer against the stream is known
as speed upstream. It is given by;
Speed upstream= (X-Y) km/hr

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❑ 1) The speed of a boat in still water is 5km/hr. If the speed of the boat
against the stream is 3 km/hr, what is the speed of the stream?
A. 1.5 km/hr
B. 2 km/hr
C. 2.5 km/hr
D. 1 km/hr

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❑ 2) A man rows downstream at 20 km/hr and rows upstream at 15
km/hr. At what speed he can row in still water?
A. 17.5 km/hr
B. 18 km/hr
C. 20.5 km/hr
D. 22 km/hr

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❑ 3) A man swims 12 km downstream and 10 km upstream. If he takes
2 hours each time, what is the speed of the stream?
A. 1 km/hr
B. 0.5 km/hr
C. 1.5 km/hr
D. 0.7 km/hr

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❑ 4) Speed of river is 6 km/hr. Speed of a
motorboat in still water is 30km/hr. How much
distance can it cover downstream in 24minutes?
❑ a. 9.8 km
❑ b. 864 m
❑ c. 12.8 km
❑ d. 14.4 km

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❑ 5) Michel can swim in still water at the rate of
6km per hour. After swimming in a stream, she
realized that she takes twice the time to go
upstream as she takes to go downstream. What is
speed of the current?
❑ a. 2.25 km/hr
❑ b. 2 km/hr
❑ c. 4 km/hr
❑ d. 1.5 km/hr

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❑ An ocean current flows at a rate of 1.5 km/hr. A shark can swim in
still water at the rate 4.5 km/hr. What is the average speed for the
entire distance travelled, if the shark swims from India to Australia
and comes back?

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❑ 7) Raj swims 26 km downstream in same time
as 14 km upstream. What is his speed in still water
if speed of stream is 3 km/hr?
❑ a. 10 km/hr
❑ b. 12 km/hr
❑ c. 7 km/hr
❑ d. 4 km/hr

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❑ 8) If upstream speed is 22 km/hr and
downstream speed is 34 km/hr, what is speed of
boat in still water?
a. 28 km/hr
❑ b. 56 km/hr
❑ c. 17 km/hr
❑ d. 11 km/hr

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❑ 9) What will be the boat's speed in still water
and speed of river, if the boat takes 12 hours to
row 48 km upstream and 8 hours to row the same
distance downstream?
a. Boat = 6 km/hr; River = 4 km/hr
❑ b. Boat = 12 km/hr; River = 6 km/hr
❑ c. Boat = 5 km/hr; River = 1 km/hr
❑ d. Boat = 4 km/hr; River = 3 km/hr
❑ e. Boat = 4 km/hr; River = 3 km/hr

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❑ it takes P 1 hour to row to a place and to come back. If the river is
running at 2.4 km/hr and P has a speed of 12 km/hr in still water,
what distance is the place from P's starting point?

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❑ Ajay takes 4 hours more while swimming upstream than
downstream. His speed in still water is 10 km/hr. The speed of stream
is 2 km/hr. What is the distance?

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THANKS!

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