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Algebra for Athletes.com

How It’s Used

The equations for speed are used in every kind of transportation.  To do more complicated studies of travel, you have to also consider acceleration and deceleration.  Acceleration is described in the section on parabolas.

Travel problems get even more complicated when you try to make vehicles arrive at their destinations at the same time.  For example, a schedule planner for a bus system might need to make the bus arrivals at a train station match the arrivals of the trains. 

Linear equations are used in many fields.  The problems with the two football players involved two equations and variables or unknowns. Some problems involve even more equations and unknowns.  Electrical engineers and structural engineers sometimes have to solve problems with three or more equations and unknowns.

The graphs in this section related travel in one direction with time.  In the next section,  we’ll see how lines can be used to show motion in two directions.