Word problem for a bus travel and a boat accelerating

In summary, a student needs help with word problems involving finding formulas to use. The first problem involves finding the average speed of a bus traveling to a football game, while the second problem involves finding the time it takes for a boat to accelerate over a distance. The student is having trouble finding the formulas and making conversions, but with the help of others, they are able to figure out their mistakes and successfully solve both problems.
  • #1
jubbly
22
0
Hey everybody, I need help on a few word problems. The major problem I'm having is finding a formula to use.

A bus is going to a football game and leaves at 4:00pm. It travels 20.91 miles to the game in 33 minutes. What is the bus' average speed in miles per hour?

I'm completely clueless on this.

How man seconds would it take a boat to accelerate from 13 m/s to 26 m/s over a distance of 1.25 km?

For this problem I'm using the average acceleration formula, but I'm not getting the answer my teacher got.

Thanks for your help!
 
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  • #2


jubbly said:
Hey everybody, I need help on a few word problems. The major problem I'm having is finding a formula to use.

A bus is going to a football game and leaves at 4:00pm. It travels 20.91 miles to the game in 33 minutes. What is the bus' average speed in miles per hour?

I'm completely clueless on this.

How man seconds would it take a boat to accelerate from 13 m/s to 26 m/s over a distance of 1.25 km?

For this problem I'm using the average acceleration formula, but I'm not getting the answer my teacher got.

Thanks for your help!

a) What is the average speed in miles per minute? How many minutes in an hour?

b) Show us your work on this, so we can see if we see the error.
 
  • #3


berkeman said:
a) What is the average speed in miles per minute? How many minutes in an hour?

b) Show us your work on this, so we can see if we see the error.

The mile per minute is .633 and there are 60 minutes in an hour. Sorry, but I still can't find a formula for this.

For the boat my givens are:
Vi = 8.0 m/s
a = 10.0 m/s
dt = 5s

I used the formula of dx = 1/2(vi+a)dt

dx = 1/2(8+10)(5)
dx = 8(5)
dx = 40
 
  • #4


jubbly said:
The mile per minute is .633 and there are 60 minutes in an hour. Sorry, but I still can't find a formula for this.

You don't need a formula. Just "multiply by 1" to convert units:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=425866&highlight=conversion


jubbly said:
For the boat my givens are:
Vi = 8.0 m/s
a = 10.0 m/s
dt = 5s

I used the formula of dx = 1/2(vi+a)dt

dx = 1/2(8+10)(5)
dx = 8(5)
dx = 40

I think you are looking at a different problem now. Above, you said this for the 2nd problem:

How man seconds would it take a boat to accelerate from 13 m/s to 26 m/s over a distance of 1.25 km?
 
  • #5


berkeman said:
You don't need a formula. Just "multiply by 1" to convert units:

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=425866&highlight=conversion




I think you are looking at a different problem now. Above, you said this for the 2nd problem:

Oh, I'm sorry about that. Also I figured out what I did wrong with the boat, as I forgot to convert km into meters.

Also thanks so much for your help!
 
  • #6


Cool. Glad you t\figured them out.

Welcome to the PF!
 

1. How do you calculate the distance traveled by a bus and a boat?

The distance traveled by the bus and the boat can be calculated by multiplying the respective velocities by the time of travel. For example, if the bus travels at a constant speed of 60 km/h for 2 hours and the boat accelerates from 20 km/h to 40 km/h in 1 hour, the distance traveled by the bus would be 60 km/h x 2 hours = 120 km, and the distance traveled by the boat would be ((20 km/h + 40 km/h)/2) x 1 hour = 30 km. The total distance traveled by both would be 120 km + 30 km = 150 km.

2. How do you determine the acceleration of a boat?

The acceleration of a boat can be determined by dividing the change in velocity by the time taken for the change to occur. In the given word problem, the boat accelerates from 20 km/h to 40 km/h in 1 hour. Therefore, the acceleration would be (40 km/h - 20 km/h)/1 hour = 20 km/h per hour.

3. What is the average speed of the bus and the boat combined?

The average speed of the bus and the boat combined can be calculated by dividing the total distance traveled by the total time taken. In the given word problem, the total distance traveled is 150 km and the total time taken is 3 hours (2 hours for the bus and 1 hour for the boat). Therefore, the average speed would be 150 km/3 hours = 50 km/h.

4. How can you use this word problem in real life scenarios?

This word problem can be used in real life scenarios to calculate the distance and time taken for a multi-modal journey, such as traveling by bus and then switching to a boat for the rest of the journey. It can also be applied in transportation planning and logistics to optimize travel routes and schedules.

5. What are the factors that can affect the accuracy of the calculations in this word problem?

The accuracy of the calculations in this word problem can be affected by factors such as traffic conditions for the bus, weather conditions for the boat, and human error in measuring the time and velocity. Other factors like the weight and size of the bus and boat can also play a role in their respective velocities and accelerations.

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