Help with physical science homework?

Question

You and a pair of life preservers are floating down a swift river. You wish to reach either one of the life preservers. One is 3 meters upstream from you and the other is 3 meters downstream. Which can you swim to in the shortest time?

Answer 1

The Upstream and Downstream Distance  = 3mts.

Then we know that speed = Distance / Time.

Time  = Distance / Speed.

Therefore time required to reach any of the life Preserver will be Equal as Life Preservers and you are travelling with equal speed.

If you swim to the life preserver upstream you slow down yourself and allow the life preserver in the upstream to catch you up.

Similarly, if you swim to the life preserver downstream you speed up yourself up to catch the life preserver in the downstream.

If we observe the two statements, then time required is equal in both cases.

Therefore the Time required to reach the either of the life preserver is Equal.