Question

students want to find the average speed of a car driving in front of their school. they choose a utility pole to mark a starting point, as shown below: the students record how much time it takes the car to move from the starting point to each of the next four poles. then they measure the distance from the start to each pole. the data table below shows their measurements:
car’s position \ttime to reach pole (s) \tdistance from start (m)
starting pole \t0 \t0
pole 1 \t4 \t44
pole 2 \t8 \t88
pole 3 \t12 \t132
pole 4 \t16 \t176
what is the average speed of the car between the starting pole and pole 4?

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the formula for average speed

The formula for average speed is $v = \frac{d}{t}$, where $v$ is the average speed, $d$ is the total distance traveled, and $t$ is the total time taken.

Step2: Identify the distance and time for the interval

From the starting pole to pole 4, the distance $d$ is 176 m (from the table, distance from start to pole 4 is 176 m) and the time $t$ is 16 s (time to reach pole 4 is 16 s).

Step3: Calculate the average speed

Substitute $d = 176$ m and $t = 16$ s into the formula: $v=\frac{176}{16}$.
Calculating $\frac{176}{16}=11$.

Answer:

The average speed of the car between the starting pole and pole 4 is 11 meters per second.