Describing Speed

Group names: _________________ ____________________ ___________________

Part 1:

The graph below is a position vs. time graph for a bicycle traveling on a long, straight road.

Position vs. time

25

20

15

10
Position (km)
5

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
time (minutes)

Look at only the first 40 minutes. What kind of motion does the object have?

How fast is the bicycle going during the first 40 minutes? Describe how you could tell.

What happened at 40 minutes? Be specific.

Describe the motion of the bicycle during the last 20 minutes of the trip (from 40 minutes to 60
minutes)? How fast was it moving?
Part 2:
Discuss the meaning of the following equation:

speed = total distance traveled

time interval

For each of the situations below, calculate how fast the object is going. Include units.
Then, interpret the ratio that is your answer: “For every one….”

1. A driver sets her cruise control while on the freeway. After driving for 3 hours, her
odometer changed from 30,200 miles to 30,410 miles. How fast is this in miles/hour?

2. A slug steadily slithers 250 cm along a sidewalk. It was 1:20pm at the beginning of its trip
and 1:45pm at the end of its trip. How fast is this in cm/min?

3. A lifeboat drifts in a steady current 250 miles in 5 days before it is rescued. How fast is this
in miles/day and in miles/hour?

4. A family on a road trip travels 240 miles from Bothell to Spokane in a minivan. It takes 8
hours because the family stopped at three rest stops. How fast is this in miles/hour?

Imagine the following:

A kangaroo is released in Mr. Z’s classroom, causing many students to scream. The kangaroo
jumps 1 meter, then waits for 30 seconds before taking another 1-meter jump. The jump/rest/jump
routine lasts until the kangaroo has hopped across the classroom. Doing this, the kangaroo takes 10
minutes to travel 20 meters.

Use the equation to find the speed of the kangaroo.

Why it is misleading to say that this is the speed of the kangaroo?

Why would it be more correct to say “average speed =” in the equation, instead of just “speed =”?