A plane travels from San Francisco to San Diego in an hour and 20 minutes. The two cities are approximately 486 miles apart. What is the average velocity of the plane?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

To determine the velocity of an object:
V = d/t
d = displacement
t = time
In this case:
d = 486 miles north
t = 1 hour and 20 minutes = 80 minutes / 60 minutes = 1.33 hours
v = 486 miles / 1.33 hours = 364.5 mph
Since San Francisco is north of San Diego, the plan travels south to go from San Francisco to San Diego.

A Plane Travels from San Francisco to San Diego in an Hour