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All the competitive exams always have questions from boat and stream topics. In almost all government exams, one will always find 2-3 questions related to this topic. Boat and stream sums are related to speed, distance, and time.
Concept of Boat and Stream
Before understanding the concept, remember that the topic deals with a stream that has a possibility of flowing upstream or downstream at some given speed. There is a boat over the stream which may go opposite the direction of the flow or go with the direction of the flow. The whole concept deals with calculating relative speed. This concept will become easy to understand if you have understood time and distance topics as boat and stream topics and time and distance concepts are 60% similar. The conversion between units is very important to get correct answers.
Upstream/ Against the stream – Let us assume in case 1, where the boat has a speed of 60km/hr and is travelling against the stream, where the stream has a speed of 40km/hr. When a boat is travelling against the stream, its speed will reduce. Here the direction of speed of the stream and the boat are against each other. This will change the time taken to cover the same distance.
Downstream/ Along the stream – Let us assume in case 2, where the boat has a speed of 60km/hr and is travelling along the stream, where the stream has a speed of 40km/hr. When a boat is travelling along the stream, its speed will increase. Here the speed of the boat and the stream are in one direction. This will change the time taken to cover the same distance.
In both cases, the distance covered by the boat is the same.
Formulas of Upstream and Downstream
Tips and Tricks to Solve Boat and Stream Questions
- It is important first to decide whether the case in the question is upstream or downstream
- Instead of memorising and understanding its derivation, it all starts with basic addition and subtraction. You will be able to remember for a long time when you aim to understand than to memorise
- Be careful while reading the question because some questions will use words like ‘in the direction of the stream’ or ‘opposite to the direction of the stream’ instead of upstream and downstream
- Instead of panicking, if the question seems to be confusing, re-read the question, note down the ‘given’ separately and ‘to find’ separately, recollect the method, and solve the question
- Remember that still water does not have speed. Sometimes, we might get confused by other speeds of streams mentioned in one question. Use only the terms necessary
Conclusion
Boat and stream is a simple topic, easy to understand and grasp. But lack of practice causes panic and loss of confidence while solving questions. Practice can help you approach with confidence. The boat and stream concept is founded on the speed, time, and distance formula. Despite being a simple topic, students tend to make mistakes and find it difficult due to a lack of practice. Practice will increase the accuracy while approaching questions. Still, water does not have any speed. If speed is still given, it will belong to that thing present in the still water. Getting an answer is very easy, but understanding is the most important question. Sometimes the speed of the man is given instead of the boat. Similar formulas apply in those cases too.
