Question

A tourist leaves Pittsburgh and travels 60 miles South on I-79 in 45 minutes. They exit after Wheeling and head west on I-70 and drive an additional 100 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes. What is the tourist’s average speed?

Answer 1

Answer:

The tourist's average speed was 80 mph

Explanation:

Average Speed

If an object travels a distance d in a time t regardless of the direction, the average speed is the quotient of the distance over the time:

$\displaystyle v=\frac{d}{t}$

The tourist leaves Pittsburgh and travels 60 miles South in 45 minutes. Then he heads West and travels 100 miles in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The total distance traveled is:

d = 60 miles + 100 miles = 160 miles

The total time is:

t = 45 minutes + 1 hour + 15 minutes = 2 hours

The average speed is:

$\displaystyle v=\frac{160}{2}$

v = 80 mph

The tourist's average speed was 80 mph