A car travels 600 km in 5 hours calculate its speed
The correct answer and explanation is:
Correct Answer:
To calculate the speed of the car: Speed=DistanceTime=600 km5 h=120 km/h\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{600 \text{ km}}{5 \text{ h}} = 120 \text{ km/h}
So, the speed of the car is 120 kilometers per hour (km/h).
300-Word Explanation:
Speed is a measure of how fast something is moving. In physics and everyday life, it’s often defined as the distance traveled per unit of time. The basic formula for speed is: Speed=DistanceTime\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}}
In this example, the car travels a total distance of 600 kilometers in a total time of 5 hours. When you divide the distance by the time: 600 km5 h=120 km/h\frac{600 \text{ km}}{5 \text{ h}} = 120 \text{ km/h}
This means the car travels 120 kilometers every hour, assuming it moves at a constant speed. Speed is typically expressed in km/h (kilometers per hour) when measuring road travel in countries using the metric system.
This type of calculation is useful in many real-life scenarios. For instance, if you know your car travels at a speed of 120 km/h and you have to cover 600 km, you can estimate how long the journey will take. Likewise, knowing the speed helps you determine how far you will travel in a certain amount of time.
It’s also important to understand that this is average speed. In real conditions, a car may not travel at exactly the same speed throughout the journey—traffic, stops, and road conditions may cause variations. But for simple problems, we assume constant speed to make calculations easier.
This basic concept forms the foundation for more complex ideas in physics like acceleration and velocity, which consider changes in speed and direction. But here, since the movement is steady, speed alone gives us all the information we need.