Time, Distance and Average Speed – Basic 6 Mathematics Lesson Note (Third Term)

What is Time?

Time tells us how long something takes. We measure time in seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months and years.

Examples:

• 1 hour = 60 minutes
• 1 minute = 60 seconds
• 1 day = 24 hours

What is Distance?

Distance is how far apart two places are. We measure distance in millimeters (mm), centimeters (cm), meters (m) and kilometers (km).

Examples:

• 1 meter = 100 centimeters
• 1 kilometer = 1000 meters

What is Average Speed?

Average speed tells us how fast something moves. It is the distance covered in a certain time.

Formula: Average Speed = Distance ÷ Time

Example: If a car travels 120km in 2 hours: Speed = 120km ÷ 2 hours = 60km/h

EXERCISES

1. Convert the following:

1. 3 hours = _______ minutes
2. 240 seconds = _______ minutes
3. 2km = _______ meters
4. 500cm = _______ meters

1. Calculate the average speed:

1. Distance = 150km, Time = 3 hours. Speed = _______
2. Distance = 80km, Time = 2 hours. Speed = _______
3. Distance = 300m, Time = 10 minutes. Speed = _______

1. Real Life Problems:

1. Kemi walks 4km to school in 1 hour. What is her average speed?
2. A bus travels from Lagos to Ibadan (120km) in 2.5 hours. Find the average speed.
3. If a bicycle moves at 15km/h for 3 hours, what distance does it cover?

1. Quantitative Reasoning:

1. Which is faster?
   1. A car that travels 200km in 4 hours
   2. A motorcycle that travels 150km in 3 hours
2. Taiwo runs 100m in 20 seconds. Bola runs 150m in 25 seconds. Who is faster?
3. A train covers 240km in 3 hours. How long will it take to cover 400km at the same speed?

1. Word Problems:

1. An airplane flies 1800km in 2 hours. A helicopter flies 600km in 1.5 hours. Which aircraft is faster?
2. During sports day, Ahmed completes a 400m race in 80 seconds. What is his average speed in m/s?
3. If you walk at 5km/h, how long will it take you to walk 15km?

Answers: 

A: 1.180min 2.4min 3.2000m 4.5m 

B: 1.50km/h 2.40km/h 3.30m/min 

C: 1.4km/h 2.48km/h 3.45km 

D: 1.Motorcycle(50km/h vs 50km/h) 2.Bola(6m/s vs 5m/s) 3.5hours E: 1.Airplane(900km/h vs 400km/h) 2.5m/s 3.3hours