Word Problems
In the 2008 Olympics, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt shocked the world as he ran the 100-meter dash in 9.69 seconds. Determine Usain’s average speed for the race.
10.32 m/s
A racecar travels at an average speed of 80 m/s in a race. The total distance of the race is 640,000 m. How long does it take the racecar to finish the race?
8000 s
Maggie and Mayi are running a race around the soccer field. If Mayi runs the race in 20 seconds, and Maggie runs the race in 25 seconds, who had a higher speed? Why?
Mayi because she ran the same distance as Maggie in less time
Correctly define the standard units for the following quantities: Speed, distance and time.
Speed: m/s
Distance: m
Time: s
If you are going 3 m/s for the first 4 seconds of a drive, then you speed up and go 10 m/s for the last 10 seconds of the drive, how far did you go in total?
112 m
In the Funny Car competition at the Joliet Speedway in Joliet, Illinois in October of 2004, John Force complete the 402.25 meter dragster race in a record time of 4.437 seconds. Determine the average speed of the dragster.
90.66 m/s
A rock is dropped from a window 5 m above the ground. The rock hits the ground 1.0 s later with a speed of 10 m/s. What is the average speed of the rock during this time?
5 m/s
Define the word "Rate." 2. Give two examples of a "Rate". (Extra points to a team with more than two examples and the correct definition).
Give 3 examples of units that define "rates"
m/s, km/h, mph
On your way to the store, you walk 3 meters in 2 seconds, then you walk 10 meters in 16 seconds. What is your average speed?
0.72 m/s
In last week's Homecoming victory, Al Konfurance, the star halfback of South's football team, broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and darted upfield untouched. He averaged 9.8 m/s for an 80-yard (73 m) score. Determine the time for Al to run from the line of scrimmage to the end zone.
7.45 s
A person runs at a speed of 6 m/s. After 7 seconds, how far has the person run?
42 m
What is the definition of speed? You must write the equation AND the verbal definition.
s=d/t. Speed is the rate at which an object covers a certain distance over a unit time
Why is it important to use units when you answer physics problems?
You could be talking about anything! 50 dollars is very different from 50 cents.
How many seconds are in a year?
31536000 seconds
Ken Runfast is the star of the cross-country team. During a recent morning run, Ken averaged a speed of 5.8 m/s for 774 s. Ken then averaged a speed of 6.10 m/s for 426 seconds. Determine the total distance which Ken ran during his whole jog.
7087.8 m
It takes Rita 300 seconds to walk from her house to the store and back. If she walks at a speed of 6 m/s the whole way, what is the distance from Rita's house to the store?
900 m
Show, using algebra, how the equation for DISTANCE is derived from the equation for SPEED.
s=d/t
Multiple both sides by t--> d=st
Name as many units for distance as you can...
Meters, kilometers, miles, centimeters, inches, feet
Describe the process you could use to measure the speed of a marble rolling across a table
Measure the length of the table, then time how long the marble takes to roll across it. Divide distance/time.
Olivia walked from Codman to the bus stop at a speed of 3 m/s. The bus stop is 60 meters away from Codman. Olivia reached the bus stop and realized she forgot her cardigan. She ran back to Codman from the bus stop at a speed of 7 m/s. How much time in total did it take Olivia to go to the bus stop and back?
28.57 s
A student leaves school and walks south, arriving home after 18 min. The distance between the school and her home is 1200 m. At home, the student realizes she left a book at school. She walks back, arriving at the school 18 min later. What is her average speed as she walks home? (Bonus point for an answer in "meters per second")
1.11 m/s
What type of mathematical relationships do the variables speed and distance have? (if one goes up while the other goes down, we call it an "inverse relationship"; if one goes up while the other also goes up, we call it a "direct relationship") 1. speed and distance (if you keep time the same)
Direct
50 years ago, MIT came up with a new unit of distance called a Smoot. They also use a different unit of time called a rawr. If distances in the NFL combine were all of a sudden measured in Smoots, and times were measured in rawrs, what unit would the combine use to measure a player's speed?
Smoots per rawr, or smoots/rawr
In the qualifying round of the 50-yd freestyle in the sectional swimming championship, Dugan got an early lead by finishing the first 25.00 yd in 10.01 seconds. Dugan finished the return leg (25.00 yd distance) in 10.22 seconds. Determine Dugan's average speed for the entire race.
2.47 m/s