Question

During the Winter Olympics, a downhill skier had to complete two qualifying heats to make it to the medal round. She finished her first run in 2 minutes and her second run in 3 minutes. Both runs took place on a course that was 4.1 kilometers long. What was her average speed?

Answer 1

The downhill skier's average speed was 98.44 km/h, calculated by dividing the total distance of 8.2 km by the total time of 0.0833 hours.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the average speed of the downhill skier, we need to consider both distance and time for the two qualifying heats. The skier completed both runs on a 4.1-kilometer course. For the first run, it took her 2 minutes (which equals 0.0333 hours), and for the second run, it took 3 minutes (which equals 0.05 hours). The total distance for both heats is 4.1 km + 4.1 km = 8.2 kilometers. The total time is 2 minutes + 3 minutes = 5 minutes, which can be converted to hours (5 minutes ÷ 60 = 0.0833 hours).

The average speed is calculated by dividing the total distance by the total time. So, the average speed of the skier is 8.2 km ÷ 0.0833 hours = 98.44 kilometers per hour (km/h).