An airplane flies 1080 miles with a constant speed of 720 mph and another 3812.7 miles with a constant speed of 760 mph. What is its average speed for the total trip?
divide the distance on each leg by the speed to find the time for each leg
ave. speed = total distance/total time
To find the average speed for the total trip, we need to calculate the total distance traveled and the total time taken. Then we divide the total distance by the total time to get the average speed.
First, let's calculate the total distance traveled:
Distance for the first part = 1080 miles
Distance for the second part = 3812.7 miles
Total distance = Distance of first part + Distance of second part
Total distance = 1080 miles + 3812.7 miles
Total distance = 4892.7 miles
Now, let's calculate the total time taken:
Time for the first part = Distance of first part / Speed of first part
Time for the first part = 1080 miles / 720 mph
Time for the first part = 1.5 hours
Time for the second part = Distance of second part / Speed of second part
Time for the second part = 3812.7 miles / 760 mph
Time for the second part = 5.016 hours (rounded to three decimal places)
Total time = Time of first part + Time of second part
Total time = 1.5 hours + 5.016 hours
Total time = 6.516 hours (rounded to three decimal places)
Finally, let's calculate the average speed for the total trip:
Average speed = Total distance / Total time
Average speed = 4892.7 miles / 6.516 hours
Average speed = 750.3 mph (rounded to one decimal place)
Therefore, the average speed for the total trip is approximately 750.3 mph.