Question

A beetle was running along a number line...The the bug ran from 78 to 13. What distance did it cover?If it took the bug 5 seconds, what was its average speed?

Answer 1

The average speed of the beetle was 12.6 numbers a second.

Step-by-step explanation:

• To calculate speed, we must know the distance covered and the time it took to cover that distance. Here the beetle went from 78 to 13 on the number line in a period of 5 seconds.

• The distance covered = 78 - 13 = 63 numbers. Time taken = 5 seconds.

• Speed is given by the formula; Speed =
  `(distance travelled)/(time taken)`. The unit for this problem is numbers per second as we do not know how long each number on the number line is.

• The average speed of the beetle =
  `(63)/(5)` = 12.6 number per second.