A car travels 40 miles in the first hour and 50 miles in the second hour. What is the car's average speed over the entire trip?

1 Answer
Paul N.
Jan 27, 2016

45 miles per hour

Explanation:

Average velocity is equal to the total distance traveled divided by the time it took to travel that distance.
#v = d/t#

In this case we are told two distances. So the total distance traveled is:
#d = d_1 +d _2#
#d = 40 + 50 = 90 " miles"#

We are also told about two time intervals. Each is an hour in length.
#t = t_1 + t_2#
#t = 1 + 1 = 2 " hours"#

Now we can calculate the average velocity for the entire trip using the first equation.
#v = (90 " miles")/(2 " hours") = 45 "miles"/"hour"#

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