Chapter 2 - Motion in One Dimension

Problem 5
Question
You drive on Interstate 10 from San Antonio to Houston, one-half the time at
35.0 mi/h (= 56.3 km/h) and the other half at 55 mi/h (=88.5 km/h). On the
way back you travel one-half the distance at 35.0 mi/h and the other half at
55.0 mi/h. What is your average speed (a) from San Antonio to Houston, (b)
from Houston back to San Antonio, and (c) for the entire trip?

Answer
For the trip there, we initially drove at speed v1 and then drove at speed v2 .
Similarly, for the trip back, we drove at speeds u1 , then u2 . (a) Finding the
average speed there is easy, as we drove half the time at each speed:

v̄1 = (v1 + v2 )/2 = 45 mi/h.

(b) The total distance is given by d. The time to cover half that distance at a
speed u is given by
t = d/2u.
The total time taken during the return trip is given by
 
d u1 + u2
T = t 1 + t2 = .
2 u1 u2

Weighting each speed by by the time driven at it, we find the return trips average
speed to be:
d 2u1 u2
ū = (t1 u1 + t2 u2 )/T = = ,
T u1 + u2
which we can calculate to be ū = 385/9 = 43 mi/h. (c) By using the same
method as in (b), the average speed for the entire trip will be:
v̄ū
V̄ = 2 = 44 mi/h.
v̄ + ū