Question

11. A bicyclist started riding at 8:00 A.M. The diagram below shows the distance the bicyclist had traveled at different times. What was the bicyclist's average rate of speed in miles per hour? 8:00 A.M. 4.5 miles 8:18 A.M. 7.5 miles 8:48 A.M.

Answer 1

The speed of the bicyclist in miles per hour is the ratio of the total distance covered to the time spent.

The total distance

= 4.5 + 7.5

= 12 miles

The total time spent on the journey 8:am to 8:48am

=48minutes

Average speed is required in miles per hour, therefore, 48mins must be converted to its equivalent in hours

60 mins makes 1hour

48 mins will be 48/60 = 0.8hours

Recall that speed= distance/time

speed=12/0.8

speed = 15 miles per hour