You have just completed a round trip to New York and back by car. The one way
distance traveled is 210 miles. If your average speed traveling to New York was 70
miles per hour and your average speed returning to Baltimore was 50 miles per
hour (heavy traffic) what was your average speed for the round trip?
To find the average speed for the round trip, you need to calculate the total distance traveled and then divide it by the total time taken.
First, let's calculate the total distance traveled. Since the one-way distance from Baltimore to New York is 210 miles, the total distance for the round trip is 2 * 210 miles = 420 miles.
Next, we need to calculate the total time taken for the round trip. We can calculate the time taken for each leg individually using the formula: time = distance / speed.
For the first leg, from Baltimore to New York:
Distance = 210 miles
Speed = 70 miles per hour
Time taken = 210 miles / 70 miles per hour = 3 hours
For the second leg, from New York back to Baltimore:
Distance = 210 miles
Speed = 50 miles per hour
Time taken = 210 miles / 50 miles per hour = 4.2 hours
Now, let's calculate the total time for the round trip:
Total time = Time taken for the first leg + Time taken for the second leg
Total time = 3 hours + 4.2 hours = 7.2 hours
Finally, to calculate the average speed for the round trip, divide the total distance by the total time:
Average speed = Total distance / Total time
Average speed = 420 miles / 7.2 hours = 58.33 miles per hour
Therefore, the average speed for the round trip is approximately 58.33 miles per hour.