Question

The table shows the mileage Karla drove on her trip. She drove for a total of 24 hours. Explain how to find her average speed. Then find the average speed.

Day Miles
1 486
2 316
3 638

Answer 1

60 mph.

(486+316+638)/24

The distances given by the table. The time driven is 24 (given by the problem). So the average speed is simply the total distance divided by the time driven.

Answer 2

To determine Karla's average speed, you simply divide the total distance she traveled by the amount of time she spent traveling. So first, you need to determine how many miles Karla drove. You do this by simply adding up the distances together. 486 miles + 316 miles + 638 miles = 1440 miles. The may have taken 3 days for her trip, but during those 3 days, she only drove for 24 hours. So divide the distance by the time, giving: 1440 miles / 24 hours = 60 miles/hour.