How to Calculate Speed in Metres per Second

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Set up the formula for speed.

   The formula is speed=distancetime{\displaystyle {\text{speed}}={\frac {\text{distance}}{\text{time}}}}.The distance refers to how far something or someone traveled, and the time refers to how long it took to travel that distance. , This information should be given in meters.
   
   Sometimes, however, you might need to calculate the distance traveled using information provided in the problem, or you might need to convert another unit, such as miles, feet, or kilometers, into meters.
   
   For example, you might know that Henry drove his car for 48,000 meters.
   
   So, your formula will look like this: speed=48,000time{\displaystyle {\text{speed}}={\frac {48,000}{\text{time}}}}. , Sometimes this information will be given; sometimes you need to calculate the time given a beginning and starting time.
   
   Find the difference between the beginning and starting time to find the total time it took to travel.
   
   In these instances, you will likely need to convert minutes traveled into seconds traveled by multiplying the number of minutes traveled by
   60.For example, you might know that Henry began driving at 6:00p.m.
   
   He drove 48,000 meters, and arrived at his destination at 6:30 p.m.
   
   The difference between 6:00p.m. and 6:30p.m. is 30 minutes.
   
   To find the number of seconds, calculate 30×60=1,800{\displaystyle 30\times 60=1,800}.
   
   So, Henry traveled for 1,800 seconds.
   
   You formula should look like this: speed=48,0001,800{\displaystyle {\text{speed}}={\frac {48,000}{1,800}}}. , This will give you the speed in meters per second.
   
   For example, speed=48,0001,800=26.67m/s{\displaystyle {\text{speed}}={\frac {48,000}{1,800}}=26.67m/s}.
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   Step 2: Plug the total distance into the formula.

3. 3

   Step 3: Plug the total time into the formula.

4. 4

   Step 4: Divide the distance by the time.

Detailed Guide

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