Two hikers are walking along the appalachian trail. the first hiker is 2 miles ahead of the second hiker. both hikers are traveling in the same direction at the same speed, 1 mile per hour. let x represent the distance traveled by the first hiker after a certain time period.

several students wrote equations for this situation. which student is correct?

a.

alex said, “the equation y = 2x + 1 represents the total distance traveled by both hikers.”

b.

brenda said, “the equation y = 3x represents the total distance traveled by both hikers.”

c.

chris said, “the equation y = x – 2 represents the distance traveled by the second hiker.”

d.

drake said, “the equation y = x + 2 represents the distance traveled by the second hiker.”