Answer:
1,200 cars per hour
Step-by-step explanation:
Assuming a steady flow of vehicles, as noted in the scenario.
If we imagined a counter at your position, there would be 25 cars within a quarter-mile, including your vehicle, all traveling at your speed.
Next, let's determine how long it takes to cover that quarter-mile distance. With your velocity at 60 mph, we can set up a proportion:
60 miles -----------> 1 hour
¼ of a mile --------> x hours
Then we can calculate:
60/ (¼) = 1/x ---------> x = 1/240 hours.
This indicates that in 1/240 hours, all 25 cars pass by the counter.
Now, let's find how many cars pass the counter in one hour. By cross-multiplying, we get:
1/240 hours -------> 25 cars
1 hour --------------> x cars
Thus, we have 1/240 = 25/x -------> x = 25*240 = 1,200 cars.
The highway's flow rate in the direction you are heading is 1,200 cars per hour.
