Average Speed Formula

What is the Average Speed

The average speed describes the rate at which an object travels within a given period. It describes how much distance has been covered from the starting point to the final position within the stipulated period, or in other words, the total distance traveled divided by the total time taken for the journey.

Definition:

The definition of average speed involves the division of the total distance taken by the total time taken to travel that distance. It's an indication of one's average movement speed over the whole journey.

Formula of Average Speed

The formula for average speed is determined by taking the ratio of total distance covered by the body and time taken to cover that distance.

The average speed equation is given by:

Equation (2) defines the formula for the average speed of any object moving at variable speeds.

Average Speed Solved Problems

Problem 1: A runner sprints at a track meet. He finishes a 1000-meter in 1 minute 30 sec. At the end, he is back at the starting point. Find the average velocity of the runner in this run?

Solution:

Given:

Total distance covered by the runner = 1000m

Total time taken =1 minute 30 sec

= 90 sec

So, putting the values in the formula for average speed

we have,

Problem 2: A car travels at a speed of 40 km/hr for 2 hrs and then decides to slow down to 30 km/hr for the next 2 hrs. What is the average speed?

Answer:

D1 = 40 * 2 = 80 miles

D2 = 30 * 2 = 60 miles

Total distance D= D1+D2

D = 80 + 60

D = 140 miles

Average speed= Total Distance travelled/Total Time taken

                          = 140/4

                  savg=35 m/s   

Conclusion 

Average speed simply gives in a straightforward manner the overall rate of a trip or an activity, considering the entire distance covered and the total time consumed.