Physics: Speed, Distance, and Time Calculations
Use formulas and units to solve motion problems
Physics: Speed, Distance, and Time Calculations
Use formulas and units to solve motion problems
Physics - Grade 6-8
- 1
A cyclist travels 24 kilometers in 2 hours. What is the cyclist's average speed?
Use speed = distance ÷ time.
The cyclist's average speed is 12 kilometers per hour because 24 kilometers ÷ 2 hours = 12 kilometers per hour. - 2
A car moves at a constant speed of 60 miles per hour for 3 hours. How far does the car travel?
The car travels 180 miles because 60 miles per hour × 3 hours = 180 miles. - 3
A student walks 800 meters at a speed of 2 meters per second. How long does the walk take?
Use time = distance ÷ speed.
The walk takes 400 seconds because 800 meters ÷ 2 meters per second = 400 seconds. - 4
The distance-time graph shows a runner traveling from 0 meters to 100 meters in 20 seconds in a straight line. What is the runner's speed?
On a distance-time graph, speed is found by dividing the change in distance by the change in time.
The runner's speed is 5 meters per second because 100 meters ÷ 20 seconds = 5 meters per second. - 5
A skateboarder travels 150 meters in 30 seconds. What is the skateboarder's average speed in meters per second?
The skateboarder's average speed is 5 meters per second because 150 meters ÷ 30 seconds = 5 meters per second. - 6
A train travels at 90 kilometers per hour. How long will it take the train to travel 270 kilometers?
Divide the total distance by the speed.
It will take the train 3 hours because 270 kilometers ÷ 90 kilometers per hour = 3 hours. - 7
Two students race across a 50-meter field. Maya finishes in 10 seconds, and Leo finishes in 12.5 seconds. Who has the greater average speed, and what is each student's speed?
Maya has the greater average speed. Maya's speed is 5 meters per second because 50 ÷ 10 = 5, and Leo's speed is 4 meters per second because 50 ÷ 12.5 = 4. - 8
A bus travels 45 kilometers in 30 minutes. What is its average speed in kilometers per hour?
Convert 30 minutes to hours before calculating.
The bus's average speed is 90 kilometers per hour because 30 minutes is 0.5 hours, and 45 kilometers ÷ 0.5 hours = 90 kilometers per hour. - 9
A remote-control car moves 18 meters in 6 seconds, then 12 meters in 4 seconds. What is its average speed for the entire trip?
The car's average speed is 3 meters per second. It travels a total of 30 meters in a total of 10 seconds, and 30 ÷ 10 = 3. - 10
A boat travels at 12 meters per second for 25 seconds. How far does the boat travel?
Use distance = speed × time.
The boat travels 300 meters because 12 meters per second × 25 seconds = 300 meters. - 11
The table shows a person walking at a constant speed: after 1 second, the person is 1.5 meters from the start; after 2 seconds, 3 meters; after 3 seconds, 4.5 meters; after 4 seconds, 6 meters. What is the person's speed?
The person's speed is 1.5 meters per second because the distance increases by 1.5 meters every second. - 12
A hiker travels 6 kilometers in 2 hours, rests for 1 hour, then travels 6 more kilometers in 3 hours. What is the hiker's average speed for the whole trip, including the rest time?
Include the rest time in the total time.
The hiker's average speed is 2 kilometers per hour. The total distance is 12 kilometers and the total time is 6 hours, so 12 ÷ 6 = 2. - 13
A motion sensor records that an object stays at 20 meters from the start for 5 seconds. What is the object's speed during this time?
If distance does not change, the object is not moving away from or toward the start.
The object's speed is 0 meters per second because its distance from the start does not change during the 5 seconds. - 14
A jet travels 1,200 kilometers in 2 hours. A smaller plane travels 900 kilometers in 3 hours. How many times faster is the jet than the smaller plane?
The jet is 2 times faster than the smaller plane. The jet's speed is 600 kilometers per hour, the smaller plane's speed is 300 kilometers per hour, and 600 ÷ 300 = 2. - 15
A dog runs from a house to a tree 40 meters away in 8 seconds, then runs back to the house in 10 seconds. What is the dog's average speed for the full trip?
For average speed, use the total distance traveled, not just the distance from the starting point.
The dog's average speed for the full trip is about 4.44 meters per second. The total distance is 80 meters, the total time is 18 seconds, and 80 ÷ 18 is about 4.44.