Calculate Average Speed: Multi-Segment Journey with 78 km/h and 85 km/h

Question

A man drives for two hours at a speed of 78 km/h, stops to get a coffee for fifteen minutes, and then continues for another hour and a half at a speed of 85 km/h.

What is his average speed?

Video Solution

Step-by-Step Solution

In the first stage, we want to find the distance the truck traveled in its total journey,

We will use the data we already have,

78 km/h for two hours of driving and 85 km/h for an additional hour and a half.

78*2+85*1.5=

156+127.5=

283.5 km

Now, we want to discover the total duration of the journey.

We know there were two hours of driving, a quarter-hour break, and another hour and a half of driving,

Meaning:

2+0.25+1.5=

3.75 hours

Now, we'll divide the travel distance by the number of hours

285/3.75=

75.6 km/h

And that's the average speed!

Answer

75.6 75.6 km/h