A truck driven by George makes its journey in two parts.
In the first part, its speed is 82 km/h and it travels for 4 hours.
Then, George has a break at a petrol station for 20 minutes.
In the second part, George travels at a speed of 70 km/h for 3 hours.
What is his average speed?
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A truck driven by George makes its journey in two parts.
In the first part, its speed is 82 km/h and it travels for 4 hours.
Then, George has a break at a petrol station for 20 minutes.
In the second part, George travels at a speed of 70 km/h for 3 hours.
What is his average speed?
To solve this problem, we'll follow these steps:
Let's calculate each step:
Step 1: Calculate the distances:
For the first part of the journey:
Speed = 82 km/h, Time = 4 hours
Distance = Speed × Time = km
For the second part of the journey:
Speed = 70 km/h, Time = 3 hours
Distance = Speed × Time = km
Step 2: Total distance traveled:
Total Distance = Distance of first part + Distance of second part
Total Distance = km
Step 3: Calculate total time including the break:
Total time driving = 4 hours (first part) + 3 hours (second part) = 7 hours
Break time = 20 minutes = hours
Total time = Driving time + Break time = hours
Step 4: Calculate the average speed:
Average speed
Average speed
Simplifying : Average speed ≈ km/h
Therefore, the average speed of George's truck for the entire journey, including the break, is km/h.
km/h
What is the average speed according to the data?
Average speed measures the overall efficiency of the entire journey! The break is part of George's total travel time, so it must be included to get the true average speed from start to finish.
Divide by 60: hour. Remember there are 60 minutes in 1 hour, so any minutes ÷ 60 gives you the decimal or fraction of an hour.
Regular speed is constant during one part of a journey. Average speed considers the entire journey - all distances and all time periods combined.
No! That only works if you travel the same time at each speed. Since George traveled 4 hours at 82 km/h and 3 hours at 70 km/h, you must use total distance ÷ total time.
Real-world average speeds are often decimals! The calculation gives us a precise answer. Round to 2 decimal places for practical purposes.
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