Calculating speed

Let the letter d stand for “distance traveled” and the letter t stand for “time taken.”
The letter v is used to represent “speed” because it refers to the word velocity (velocity is speed
plus direction). There are three ways to arrange the variables to find either distance, time, or
speed. You should be able to calculate any one of the three if you know the other two. To use a
formula, remember that the words or letters stand for values that the variables have.

Sample Problem: How far do you go if you drive for two hours at a speed of 100 km/h?
Given: Required: Equation:
v= 100 km/h d=? d=vt
t=2 h

Solution:
d = vt
d = (100 km/h)(2 h)
d = 200 km - Final Answer

Try to solve:

1. Mike cycled for 4hrs at a speed of 40 km/h. What distance did he travel?
2. Jerald is a swimmer. He swims the 100m in 10x6s. What speed did he travel at? (in m/s)
3. At the equator, the earth spins a distance of 25,992miles every day. What speed does the
Earth spin at in mph?
4. Rea travelled at a speed of 16km/h for 2 hours. What was the distance covered?
5. Callum writes down his jog times for each day. Mon – 15min Tue – 10min Wed – 12min
Thu - 5min Fri – No jog. He jogs at a constant speed of 9km/h. Work out the distance he
jogs each day. On which day did he jog the furthest?