An object is said to be in uniform motion when it moves without changing its speed.
Jenn, Founder Calcworkshop®, 15+ Years Experience (Licensed & Certified Teacher)
All this means is that we can find the distance an object travels as long as we know the object is moving at a constant (fixed) speed or pace or at an average rate or speed.
In fact, whenever we encounter this type of scenario we can utilize a very powerful formula:
d = rt
Distance-Rate-Time Example
Where:
- d represents distance
- r is an object’s rate (speed)
- t is the time the object takes to travel
The type of questions we will be investigating in this lesson involve:
- How far?
- How fast?
- How long?
Solving Distance Rate Time Example
And all three of these questions can be answered using the Distance formula listed above.
Simple!
Yes, it is simple, but there is a warning.
Units of measure matter!
As Purple Math so accurately points out, we must always check our units to ensure they agree with one another.
Many questions will try to trick you by using miss-matched units, so always check and if necessary, convert to the correct unit before simplifying.
Together we will look at five examples in detail for how to solve Distance-Rate-Time word problems.
Distance Rate Time (How-To) – Video
Get access to all the courses and over 450 HD videos with your subscription
Monthly and Yearly Plans Available
Still wondering if CalcWorkshop is right for you?
Take a Tour and find out how a membership can take the struggle out of learning math.