Your father is driving to the beach. He drives at one speed for two hours. He drives at a different speed for another two hours and a third speed for the final hour. How would you find his average speed for all five hours?
(A)Divide the total driving time by the total distance
(B)Multiply the total driving time by the total distance
(C)Divide the total distance by the total driving time
(D)Subtract the total driving time from the total distance
To find the average speed for all five hours, you need to divide the total distance traveled by the total driving time.
In this scenario, your father drives at one speed for two hours, at a different speed for another two hours, and at a third speed for the final hour. Let's assume the speeds are s1, s2, and s3 respectively.
First, calculate the distance covered by each leg of the trip. The distance covered at the first speed is 2 * s1, the distance covered at the second speed is 2 * s2, and the distance covered at the third speed is 1 * s3.
Next, sum up the distances covered in each leg to get the total distance. The total distance is (2 * s1) + (2 * s2) + (1 * s3).
Finally, divide the total distance by the total driving time (which is 5 hours in this case) to find the average speed. Therefore, the correct option is (C) Divide the total distance by the total driving time.