1. Bike Odometer Finding Speed

2. Odometer Mr. Ranney loves to ride his bike around town every once and while. He has always wanted to know how fast he was going when he was biking his usual trail. To figure out his average speed, he bought an odometer that measured the total distance he traveled and how long he had traveled.

3. Finding Speed In order to find speed, Mr. Ranney knew that he could solve a simple equation involving distance and time. He thought distance is the measure of miles, time is the measure of hours, and speed is the measure of miles per hour. Speed = Distance/Time From this formula, he could figure out the speed by dividing distance by time.

4. Applying the Speed Formula Mr. Ranney read that his total distance was 21 miles, and his total time was 90 minutes. Since we know the distance and time, we can plug it into the formula. Wait! There is a problem. Mr. Ranney wants his distance in miles per hour, but the time was measured in minutes. We have to convert minutes to hours and then calculate. 90 minutes * (1 hour/60 minutes) = 90/60 = 1.5 hours.

5. Applying the speed formula Now Mr. Ranney can carry out his calculations. Speed = Distance/Time Speed = 21 miles/1.5 hours Speed = 21 miles/(3/2 hours) Speed = 21 miles*(2/3 hours) Speed = 14 miles/hour Mr. Ranney was traveling at an average of 14 miles per hour!