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NSWMaths Standard 2Quick questions
Year 11: Algebra
Quick questions on Distance, speed and time for HSC Maths Standard 2
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is speed is a rate, so the units must match?Show answer
A speed of km/h literally means kilometres travelled for every hour. The "per" is a division, so the unit is kilometres divided by hours. That is why the units have to be consistent before you compute:
What is average speed over a whole journey?Show answer
The biggest conceptual trap in this dot point is the phrase average speed. Average speed is not the average of the speeds on each leg. It is always
What is reading a distance-time graph?Show answer
A journey at a steady speed graphs as a straight line of distance against time, and the gradient of that line is the speed. The graph below shows the caravan's steady km/h drive: distance is directly proportional to time, so the line goes through the origin and rises by km for every hour across. Reading off at hours gives km, exactly , and the steeper the line, the faster the speed. A horizontal section (no gain in distance) would mean the vehicle is stopped, which is how a rest stop shows up on such a graph.
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