The units of speed are specified by traveled distance units divided by units of time, and that is the general idea of speed. Everything about speed is related to distance and time. The speed definition hides behind these units, and we can get familiar with it by examining them. On the other hand, physicists most often use the SI base units which are meters per second (m/s). So, we can say that the human perception of speed is relative.Īutomobiles and trains measure speed in kilometers per hour (kph) or in miles per hour (mph), and on airplanes and ships we usually use knots (kn). For example, when you drive a car at a speed of 50 km/h, this is not too fast relative to the max speed of the car, but when you ride a bike with the same speed, it fells like a lot. What is more, we have a sense that tells us how quickly we are traveling at, that is we can sense whether we are moving fast or not. We mostly associate speed with moving objects than with scientific equations. However, when you take the time to think about it, you don't see the vectors and formulas from your textbook, but instead a cyclist, flying jet or speedometer needle. Finally, replace in the formula to get 10 / 1 = 10 km/h (kilometers per hour) on average in total.We have all heard of speed, but how confident are you in your understanding of this concept? Speed is, by definition, purely related and connected to physics.
Also add up the distance: 5 + 5 = 10 kilometers. What is the cyclist's average speed? First, add up the time to get 1 hour total. It took him 25 minutes on the way to work and 35 minutes on the way back. Then, apply the avg speed formula to get 120 miles / 2 hours = 60 mph (miles per hour).Įxample 2: A cyclist travels to and from work, covering 10 km each way. 2:10 minus 10 minutes leaves 2 hours of travel time. First, subtract the time spent at the train stops: 2.5 x 4 = 10 minutes. Finding average speed examplesĮxample 1: Using the equation above, find the speed of a train which travelled 120 miles in 2 hours and 10 minutes while making four stops, each lasting approximately 2.5 minutes. If the distance was 200 kilometers and it took 4 hours to cover it, then the speed was 200 / 4 = 50 km/h (kilometers per hour). Make sure to subtract any rests or stops made from the total trip duration.įor example, if the total distance travelled was 250 miles and the time it took was 5 hours, then the average speed was 250 / 5 = 50 miles per hour (mph). Google Maps) and measure the distance travelled based on your actual path (not via a straight line, unless you travelled by air in which case that would be a good approximation), or to use a GPS reading if you used navigation during the whole trip. If you have noted the distance on your odometer then you can use that number. Either way, one needs to know the distance. The easiest way to do that would be by using the speed calculator above, but if you prefer, you can also do the math yourself. Let us say that you travelled a certain distance with your car and want to calculate its average speed.
How to calculate the average speed of a car? If distance was measured in miles and time in hours, then output will be in miles per hour (mph, mi/h), and so on for km/h, m/s, etc. For example, if you measured distance in meters and time in seconds, your output from the average speed calculator would be ft/s. The metric unit of the result will depend on the units you put in. The average speed calculation is simple: given the distance travelled and the time it took to cover that distance, you can calculate your speed using this formula: