Question

A train leaves East Glacier, Montana (elevation 4,560 feet) at 1:00 p.m. on a Sunday. The temperature is 80°F. The train travels at a top speed of 70 miles per hour and gets to the next stop at 4:30 p.m. That stop is 189 miles away and its elevation is 9000 feet above sea level. What is the average speed of the train?

Answer 1

The train's average speed was 54 mph, calculated by dividing the distance of 189 miles by the travel time of 3.5 hours.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the average speed of the train, we need to divide the total distance traveled by the time it took to travel that distance. The train left East Glacier, Montana, at 1:00 p.m. and arrived at the next stop at 4:30 p.m. Therefore, the total travel time is 3 hours and 30 minutes, which is 3.5 hours when converted to hours. The given distance between the two stops is 189 miles. Using the formula for average speed (average speed = total distance / total time), the average speed of the train is calculated as follows: 189 miles / 3.5 hours = 54 miles per hour (mph). Thus, the train's average speed from East Glacier to the next stop with an elevation of 9000 feet above sea level was 54 mph.