Question

An airplane travels at 300 mi/h south for 2.00 h and then at 250 mi/h north for 750 miles. what is the average speed for the trip?

Answer 1

Th find the average speed of a trip we need to dived the total distance by the total time. Let's find the total distance d. d = (300 mi/h)(2.00 h) + 750 miles d = 600 miles + 750 miles d = 1350 miles The total distance is 1350 miles Let's find the total time t. t = 2.00 hours + (750 mi / 250 mi/h) t = 2.00 hours + 3.00 hours t = 5.00 hours The total time of the trip is 5.00 hours. We can find the average speed. d / t = 1350 miles / 5.00 hours d / t = 270 miles/ hour The average speed of the trip is 270 mi/h (Note that the direction does not matter when we find the average speed.)