Thinking

Further Average speed

We can use a formula to work out average speed:

Average speed = distance covered

time taken
The result is given as a rate in km/hr or m/sec.
The distance units are given per single unit of time

1 A marathon route is 56 km long. The first ten runners win a gold medal. Anyone who
finishes in four hours or less gets a silver medal. Runners who finish in six hours or less
get a bronze medal. If you do not complete the race in six hours, you do not get a medal.
a) At what average speed would you have to run to complete the race in exactly
six hours?
b) At what speed would you have to run to complete the race in exactly 4 hours?
c) If you run at 6 km/hr will you manage to complete the race and win a medal?
2 Usain Bolt’s six fastest times (in seconds) for running 200 metres are:
19.93 19.95 19.98 20.08 20.10 20.20
a) Work out the average speed at which he was running in each of these races.

The table shows you the world record

for the 100 m and how it has changed. 3 a) Work out Tom Burke’s average speed
Year Time (secs) Name when he set the record in 1896.
1896 12.0 Tom Burke b) Work out Tim Montgomery’s average
1908 10.8 Reggie Walker speed when he set the record in 2002.
1936 10.3 Jesse Owens c) What is the difference between their
speeds?
1968 9.95 Jim Hines
1983 9.93 Calvin Smith
1988 9.92 Carl Lewis 4 Tim Montgomery’s best recorded speed
1990 9.90 Leroy Burrell over 200 m is 20.52 seconds.
1991 9.86 Carl Lewis a) Does this mean he is a slower
runner than Usain Bolt? Explain
1994 9.85 Leroy Burrell
your answer.
1996 9.84 Donovan Bailey
1999 9.79 Maurice Greene
2002 9.78 Tim Montgomery

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Maths Connect © Harcourt Education, 2006
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