A bus travels 36 miles in 45 minutes. Enter the number of mi Es the bus travels in 60 minutes at this rate
The correct answer and explanation is:
To calculate the number of miles the bus travels in 60 minutes, we need to first determine the bus’s speed. The given data tells us that the bus travels 36 miles in 45 minutes.
Step 1: Find the speed in miles per minute.
The speed can be calculated as: Speed=DistanceTime=36 miles45 minutes=0.8 miles per minute\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{36 \, \text{miles}}{45 \, \text{minutes}} = 0.8 \, \text{miles per minute}
Step 2: Calculate the distance the bus travels in 60 minutes.
Now that we know the bus travels 0.8 miles per minute, we can use this to find the distance the bus will travel in 60 minutes. Distance=Speed×Time=0.8 miles per minute×60 minutes=48 miles\text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} = 0.8 \, \text{miles per minute} \times 60 \, \text{minutes} = 48 \, \text{miles}
Conclusion:
The bus travels 48 miles in 60 minutes at this rate.
This problem is an example of direct variation, where the distance is directly proportional to the time. By determining the bus’s speed, we were able to extrapolate how far the bus would travel in 60 minutes. This calculation is useful in a variety of real-world situations, such as estimating travel times for public transportation or determining the duration of a trip based on speed.