Average Speed (Multi)

Free interactive math game: Average Speed (Multi) — Segments with diff speeds. Part of the Units & Time category on MathKite.

Example problems

Taken from the generator that powers this exercise. A fresh set appears every time the page is opened, and the printable worksheet holds ten of them.

  1. A car travels at 60 km/h for 4 hours, then at 100 km/h for 1 hour. What is the average speed?
  2. A car travels at 40 km/h for 3 hours, then at 30 km/h for 3 hours. What is the average speed?
  3. A car travels at 40 km/h for 5 hours, then at 80 km/h for 3 hours. What is the average speed?
  4. A car travels at 80 km/h for 1 hour, then at 30 km/h for 1 hour. What is the average speed?

About this exercise

Average speed across a journey made of several stretches.

How to solve it

Add up the total distance and the total time separately, then divide one by the other.

Worked example

120 km in 2 hours followed by 60 km in 1 hour is 180 km in 3 hours, an average of 60 km/h.

Common mistake

Averaging the speeds. That only works when the stretches take equal time, which they rarely do.