math help please word problems i can work the problem just not the way expected?

Question

a semi truck travels 300 miles through the flatland in the same amount of time that it travels 180 miles through the great smokey mtns. The rate of the truck is 20 mph slower in the mountains than in the flatland. find both the flatland rate and the mountain rate. **They want me to solve each problem define a variable write an equation, solve the equation and state the answer in sentence form .** Thanks

Answer 1

Let x be the truck's speed (in miles per hour) through the mountains.

Then x+20 is the speed through flatland.

We know 300/(x+20) = 180/x

Cross-multiplying, we get:
300x = 180*(x+20)
300x = 180x + 3600
120x = 3600
x = 30

The truck travels at 30mph in the mountains.
Since flatland speed is 20mph faster than that, the truck travels at 50mph in the flatland.

Hope that helped!

Answer 2

Distance= velocity x time
In the flatland, let velocity = v. Then 300= vt
Across the Smokies, 180= (v-20) t.
Then 300/v = 180/(v-20)
Cross mult to get 300v-6000= 180v
Rearrange to get 120v=6000.
Solve to get v=50 mph in the flatland, and 30 mph in the "mounteens"
Just what your teacher wanted, isn't it?