Two high-speed ferries leave at the same time from a city to go to the same island. The first ferry, the Cat, travels at 35 miles per hour. The second ferry, the Bird, travels at 24 miles per hour. In how many hours will the two ferries be 55 miles apart? The ferries will be 55 miles apart after \( \square \) hour(s). (Type a whole number.)

To determine when the ferries will be 55 miles apart, we can set up the following equation based on their speeds: Let \( t \) be the number of hours after they leave. The distance traveled by the Cat is \( 35t \) miles, and the distance traveled by the Bird is \( 24t \) miles. Since they are moving in opposite directions, the total distance between them can be expressed as: \[ 35t + 24t = 55 \] Combining the distances gives us: \[ 59t = 55 \] Now, solve for \( t \): \[ t = \frac{55}{59} \approx 0.93 \, \text{hours.} \] So the ferries will be about 0.93 hours, or approximately 56 minutes, apart!