Question

On May 26, 1934, a streamlined, stainless steel diesel train called the Zephyr set the world’s nonstop long-distance speed record for trains. Its run from Denver to Chicago took 13 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds, and was witnessed by more than a million people along the route. The total distance traveled was 1633.8 km. What was its average speed in km/h and m/s?

a) Speed: 123.5 km/h, 34.3 m/s
b) Speed: 123.5 km/h, 30.4 m/s
c) Speed: 126.5 km/h, 35.1 m/s
d) Speed: 126.5 km/h, 31.2 m/s

Answer 1

The average speed of the Zephyr train from Denver to Chicago was 124.712 km/h and 34.642 m/s.

Step-by-step explanation:

The average speed of the Zephyr train can be calculated by dividing the total distance traveled by the total time taken. The total distance traveled was 1633.8 km and the total time taken was 13 hours, 4 minutes, 58 seconds. To convert the time into hours, we can divide the minutes and seconds values by 60 and add them to the hours value. So, 4 minutes is 4/60 = 0.067 hours and 58 seconds is 58/3600 = 0.016 hours. Adding these to 13 gives us 13.083 hours. Now, we can divide the total distance by the total time to find the average speed.

Speed = Distance / Time = 1633.8 km / 13.083 hours = 124.712 km/h.

To convert this speed into m/s, we need to multiply it by 1000/3600 to convert km/h to m/s. So, 124.712 km/h * (1000/3600) = 34.642 m/s.