Q&A for How to Calculate Average Speed

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An athlete runs in a circular path with a radius of 14m. The athlete completes 10 rounds in 10 minutes. How do I calculate his speed in m/s?

Community Answer

To know how far he runs, you first have to calculate the circumference of the circle. The formula for circumference is 2(pi)(r). So 2(3.14)(14) = 87.92. Since he runs ten rounds, you have to multiply the circumference by 10: 87.92 x 10 = 879.2 (879 rounded) Next, it says he completed the run in 10 minutes, but the answer needs to be in seconds, so convert by multiplying 10 x 60 = 600. Now, you can set up the speed ratio: s = d/t; s = 879/600 Finally, simplify the ratio by dividing 879/600 = 1.47. So his average speed was 1.47 m/s

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How can I find an average speed of a car if it moves from point A To B at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour and returns at a speed of 50 kilometers per hour?

Community Answer

Since you have two different speeds for half the distance (A to B = half; B to A = half), use the formula given in method 5: 2ab/a+b. So: (2)(30)(50)/30+50 3000/80 37.5 So, the average speed is 37.5 km/hr

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Does steepness matter when you're finding the average speed?

Community Answer

No, the formula for average speed is the same regardless of steepness. If you were calculating velocity, then the direction/incline of the motion would matter.

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Does velocity change when speed does?

Community Answer

Yes. Speed is a component of velocity, so whenever the speed changes, the velocity changes, too (but not always the other way around).

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Question

If a Ferrari is travelling at 100 miles per hour, how long will it take the Ferrari to travel 15 miles?

Community Answer

Think of a ratio. If the Ferrari takes 1 hour to travel 100 miles, it takes 15/100, or 3/20 of an hour, to travel 15 miles. The answer will be in minutes, so multiply 3/20 x 60 = 9. So, it will take the Ferrari 9 minutes to travel 15 miles.

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Question

How do I calculate average speed if only 3 distances are given and no times are given?

Community Answer

You dont, S = D / T. You do not have enough information. You need the distance and the time to calculate speed.

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Question

What is instantaneous speed and velocity?

Community Answer

Instantaneous velocity the velocity at one moment in time. (On a position time graph, you read it by making a tangent off a point on the line and calculating the slope of the tangent.) Instantaneous speed is the speed of an object one moment in time.

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How do I find an unknown speed if the first speed and an average speed is given?

Community Answer

You can write an equation: average speed = first speed + final speed / two.

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Question

How to convert m/s to km/hr?

Community Answer

The following two articles might help you: http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Seconds-to-Minutes http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-Within-Metric-Measurements

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Question

How do I find the average speed if the initial speed and final speed are given?

Community Answer

Add the initial and final speeds together and divide by 2.

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A person crosses a 600m long street in 5 minute. What is his speed in km per hour?

Community Answer

(600 m / 5 min) x (1 km / 1000 m) x (60 min / 1 hr) = 7.2 km/hr.

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Question

How do I calculate average speed if I know the distance and time?

Community Answer

You must divide the distance (let's say 200 miles) by the time (for example, 2 hours). 200 miles divided by 2 hours is an average speed of 100 mph. (Good luck paying the ticket!)

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Question

A hiker hikes up a mountain at 3 mph and hikes back down at 4mph. The round trip is 12 miles. What is the average speed? What should the hiker's downhill speed be to make the overall speed 3.5 mph?

Community Answer

S = 2ab / (a + b); a = 3 and b = 4, so speed average = 3.2. To get 3.5 as average speed, 3.5 = 2 * 3 * b / (3 + b); b = 4.2 mph, which would be the downhill speed.

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Question

A bus covers a distance in 50 minutes at an average speed of 48 kph. How fast must it go to reduce the travel time to 40 minutes?

Community Answer

Time = 50/60 hr = 5/6 hr. Speed = 48 kph. Distance = S*T = 48 * 5/6 = 40 km. New time will be 40 minutes, so time = 40/60 hr = 2/3 hr. Speed = distance / time. New speed = 40 * 3/2 kph = 60 kph.

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Question

How can I calculate the distance traveled when the average speed is given?

Community Answer

You would multiply the average speed times the amount of time. For example, 50 mph for 5 hours would be 50 x 5. 50 x 5 = 250, so you traveled 250 miles in 5 hours at a speed of 50mph.

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Question

What is my average speed in meters/second if I traveled 220 km in 2.25 hours?

Cabbache

Community Answer

220 km / 2.25 hour = 220,000 m / 8100 s = 27.16 m/s. An hour is 3600 seconds, so 2.25 hours is 2.25 x 3600 seconds = 8100s.

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Question

A man can travel first at 80 km at 20 kmph, the next 30 km at 15 kmph, and then 80 km at 20 kmph. What's the average speed of the whole journey?

Cabbache

Community Answer

Average speed is total distance / total time. We know the total distance is 80 + 30 + 80 = 190 km, so we need the total time. 80/20 = 4 hours for the first 8 km, 30/15 = 2 hours for the next 30 km and 80/20 = 4 hours for the last 80 km, so total time = 4 + 2 + 4 = 10 hours. So the average speed is 190 km / 10 hours = 19 km/h.

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If a hare ran for 2 minutes at a speed of 7.5 kmph, slept for 56 minutes, then again ran for 2 minutes at a speed of 7.5 kmph, what was the average speed of the hare?

Cabbache

Community Answer

Average speed is total distance / total time. Total time is 2 + 56 + 2 = 60 minutes = 1 hour. Now we need to find the total distance. Distance is velocity x time; if you run at 7.5 kmph for 2 minutes, you would cover 2/60 of those 7.5km, so 1/30 x 7.5 = 1/4 of a km. Then it runs again at the same speed for the same time, so another 0.25 km, so the total distance is 0.5 km and the total time is 1 hour. The answer would then be 0.5 kmph.

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Question

What is the formula for average speed?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

The basic formula for calculating average speed is speed equals distance over time, or speed = distance/time.

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Question

How do you find average speed with 3 speeds?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

Start by setting up the formula for average speed, which is S = d/t, or speed equals distance over time. Then, find the total distance by multiplying each speed by each time period and adding the distances. Find the total time by adding the times together. Then, find the average speed for all 3 speeds by adding them all together and then dividing by 3.

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Question

How do you calculate average speed using distance and time?

Drew Hawkins1

Community Answer

Use the formula S=d/t, or speed equals distance over time. Plug in the distance for the variable "d." Then, plug in the time for the variable "t." Divide the distance by the time to get the average speed.

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Question

How do I calculate average speed between 2 points if I know the distance and time?

Community Answer

Average speed = total distance travelled/total time. If you know the distance and time, use this formula to calculate average speed.

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How do I calculate average speed if I know the distance and time?

Community Answer

The formula would be s=d/t. So I would replace d, with my distance and t, with my time. Then I would divide the two to get my answer.

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Question

If a car travels from B to C with a speed of 7 km/h, and back with a speed of 4 km/h, and the distance from B to C is 20 km, how can I find the average speed of the journey?

Community Answer

Hint: B to C and back (i.e. C to B) also B to C = 20 km. It means that distance either B to C or C to B is same = 20 km. Now to find average speed, we use formula ( mentioned in above section. S= 2 ab / ( a + b). In your case a equals the speed for the first half ( B to C) of the distance, and b equals the speed for the second half (C to B) of the distance, so here come S = 2 (7)(4) / 7+4 = 56/11 = 5.09 mph.

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Question

How do I calculate average speed if two speeds are given and nothing else?

Donagan

Top Answerer

You would also have to know the distance traveled at each speed, the elapsed time at each speed or the total distance traveled and elapsed time. (You could also find the nominal average speed by adding the two speeds together and dividing by 2, but that would be a meaningless number.)

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