Understanding Car Speed and Distance Travel: A Simple Example

If a car travels 20 km in 30 minutes, you may wonder how far it can travel in 2 hours. Let's break down the problem step-by-step to understand the solution.

Calculating Speed

The first step in solving this problem is to determine the speed of the car. We know that speed is defined as the distance traveled divided by the time taken. Given the car travels 20 km in 30 minutes, we can start by converting the time into hours. Since 30 minutes is equivalent to half an hour (0.5 hours), we can now calculate the speed:

Speed Distance / Time

Speed 20 km / 0.5 hours 40 km/h.

This means that the car travels 40 kilometers in one hour, provided that the speed remains constant.

Distance Traveled Over Multiple Time Intervals

Now that we know the car's speed, we can determine how far it will travel in 2 hours. To do this, we need to understand that the car is traveling at a constant speed, which allows us to use a simple multiplication to find the total distance:

Distance Speed × Time

Substituting the known values:

Distance 40 km/h × 2 hours 80 km.

So, if the car continues at its current speed without any changes in acceleration or deceleration, it will travel 80 kilometers in 2 hours.

Solving Using Proportions

Alternatively, you can solve this problem using proportions. We know that in 30 minutes (0.5 hours), the car travels 20 km. To find out how far the car travels in 2 hours, we can set up a proportion:

Distance in 2 hours / Distance in 30 minutes 2 hours / 0.5 hours

Let's denote the distance the car travels in 2 hours as 'x' km:

W x / 20 km 2 / 0.5

Solving for x:

(x / 20) 4

x 20 km × 4 80 km.

Using proportions confirms that the car will travel 80 kilometers in 2 hours.

City Driving Considerations

It's worth noting that this calculation assumes constant speed, which might not be realistic for city driving. In busy city areas, the average speed for 30 minutes is typically around 40 km/h, as mentioned above. If you can maintain this speed consistently for 2 hours, you should be able to cover the 80-kilometer distance. However, factors such as traffic, speed limits, and varying road conditions can affect the actual distance traveled.

In conclusion, if a car travels 20 kilometers in 30 minutes and maintains a constant speed, it will travel 80 kilometers in 2 hours, provided there are no significant changes in speed or other external factors.