Final answer:
To calculate the distance a car travelling at a constant rate of x miles per hour will travel in y minutes, convert y minutes into hours and then multiply by the speed. The formula is Distance = (x × y) / 60 miles.
Step-by-step explanation:
If a car is travelling at a constant rate of x miles per hour, we need to find out how many miles the car will travel in y minutes. First, since there are 60 minutes in an hour, we'll convert the time from minutes to hours to match the units of the speed.
To convert y minutes to hours, we divide y by 60:
y minutes ÷ 60 minutes/hour = y/60 hours
Now, we can calculate the distance travelled in y minutes (which we have converted to hours) by multiplying the speed (x miles per hour) by the time in hours:
Distance = Speed × Time
Distance = x miles/hour × (y/60) hours
When we multiply these together, we get:
Distance = (x × y) / 60 miles
This equation gives us the distance the car will travel in y minutes.