A truck driver traveled at an average speed of 58 miles per hour on a 200-mile trip to pick up a load of freight. On the return trip (with the truck fully loaded), the average speed was 37 miles per hour. Find the average speed for the round trip.
(58+37)/2 = ?
To find the average speed for the round trip, we need to first calculate the total time it took for the round trip.
For the first leg of the trip, the driver traveled 200 miles at an average speed of 58 miles per hour. To find the time taken, we can divide the distance by the speed:
Time taken = Distance / Speed = 200 miles / 58 miles per hour.
Using a calculator, we can determine that the time taken for the first leg of the trip was approximately 3.4483 hours.
For the second leg of the trip, the driver traveled the same 200 miles, but at an average speed of 37 miles per hour. Again, we can calculate the time taken using the same formula:
Time taken = Distance / Speed = 200 miles / 37 miles per hour.
Calculating this, we find that the time taken for the second leg of the trip was approximately 5.4054 hours.
To find the total time for the round trip, we add the time taken for both legs:
Total time = Time for first leg + Time for second leg = 3.4483 hours + 5.4054 hours.
Using a calculator, we find that the total time for the round trip was approximately 8.8537 hours.
Finally, to find the average speed for the round trip, we divide the total distance by the total time:
Average speed = Total distance / Total time = 400 miles / 8.8537 hours.
Calculating this, we find that the average speed for the round trip is approximately 45.16 miles per hour.