If a man travels \( p \) hours at an average rate of \( q \) miles per hour, and then \( r \) hours at an average rate of \( s \) miles per hour, what is his overall average rate of speed?
Answer (2)
Total miles traveled in p hours = p q miles and Total miles traveled in r hours = r s miles so, average rate of speed = total miles traveled / number of hours =[{(p q)+(r s)} / (p+r)] miles per hour
To calculate the overall average rate of speed, first find the total distance traveled by multiplying time by speed for each portion of the trip. Then, sum the distances and the times, and divide total distance by total time to find the average speed. The formula is p + r ( p × q ) + ( r × s ) .
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