If a plane can travel 490 miles per hour with the wind and 430 miles per hour against the wind, find the speed of the wind and the speed of the plane in still air.

let the speed of plane in still air be x and that wind be y

therefore:

x+y=490

x-y=390

next we solve for the values of x and y, first we add the above equations. This will give us:

2x=880

x=880/2

x=440 miles per hour.

substituting the value of x in one of the equations and solving for y we get:

440+y=490

y=490-440

y=50 miles per hour