Year 6 Maths: Calculating Speed

What is Speed?

Hello, Year 6! Today, we’re going to learn about speed. Speed tells us how fast something is moving. We can measure speed using a simple formula:

$$\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}}$$

This means that to find out how fast something is going, you divide the distance it has travelled by the time it took to travel that distance.

Key Words to Know:

• Distance: How far something travels. It could be in metres (m) or kilometres (km).
• Time: How long it takes to travel that distance. This could be in seconds (s), minutes (min), or hours (h).
• Speed: How fast something is moving. We often measure speed in metres per second (m/s) or kilometres per hour (km/h).

Examples of Calculating Speed

Let’s go through a couple of examples together.

Example 1: Walking Speed

Imagine you walk 300 metres in 5 minutes. To find your speed, we can use the formula.

1. Distance = 300 m
2. Time = 5 min = 5 × 60 = 300 seconds (because we need to convert minutes into seconds)

Now, plug the values into the formula:

$$\text{Speed} = \frac{300 \text{ m}}{300 \text{ s}} = 1 \text{ m/s}$$

So, you walk at a speed of 1 metre per second.

Example 2: Cycling Speed

Now let’s say you cycle 12 kilometres in 30 minutes.

1. Distance = 12 km
2. Time = 30 min = 0.5 hours (30 minutes is half an hour)

Now, convert kilometres into metres for consistency:

$$12 \text{ km} = 12,000 \text{ m}$$

Now, plug the values into the formula:

$$\text{Speed} = \frac{12,000 \text{ m}}{0.5 \text{ h}} = 24,000 \text{ m/h}$$

To convert this into kilometres per hour, we divide by 1,000:

$$\text{Speed} = 24 \text{ km/h}$$

So, you cycle at a speed of 24 kilometres per hour.

Tips and Tricks

• Always check your units! Make sure you’re using the same units for distance and time. Convert them if needed.
• Practice with real-life examples. Think about how long it takes to walk to school or cycle to a friend’s house and calculate your speed!
• Use a calculator if you find the numbers too big or complicated.

Practice Questions

Easy Level Questions

1. A car travels 100 km in 2 hours. What is its speed?
2. A runner completes 400 m in 50 seconds. What is their speed?
3. A bike travels 10 km in 30 minutes. What is the speed in km/h?
4. A train goes 150 miles in 3 hours. What is its speed?
5. A person walks 800 m in 10 minutes. What is their speed in m/s?
6. A dog runs 300 m in 90 seconds. What is its speed?
7. A person jogs 5 km in 25 minutes. What is their speed in km/h?
8. A snail moves 10 m in 50 minutes. What is its speed in m/min?
9. A bus travels 60 km in 1 hour. What is its speed?
10. A child rides their scooter 1 km in 5 minutes. What is their speed?

Medium Level Questions

1. A cyclist travels 15 km in 45 minutes. What is their speed in km/h?
2. A plane flies 600 miles in 2 hours. What is its speed?
3. A car drives 250 miles in 5 hours. What is its speed in mph?
4. A person swims 200 m in 4 minutes. What is their speed?
5. A train travels 180 km in 2 hours and 30 minutes. What is its speed in km/h?
6. A motorbike completes 50 km in 40 minutes. What is its speed in km/h?
7. A hiker covers 12 km in 3 hours. What is their speed?
8. A runner takes 20 minutes to run 3 km. What is their speed in km/h?
9. A truck delivers 100 km in 1 hour and 15 minutes. What is its speed?
10. A horse gallops 1.5 km in 3 minutes. What is its speed in m/s?

Hard Level Questions

1. A train travels 120 km in 1 hour and 30 minutes. What is its speed in km/h?
2. A plane flies 900 miles in 2 hours and 15 minutes. What is its speed in mph?
3. A cyclist rides 45 km in 2 hours and 30 minutes. What is their speed in km/h?
4. A swimmer completes a 500 m race in 10 minutes. What is their speed in m/s?
5. A car travels 300 km in 4 hours. What is its speed?
6. A bus takes 1 hour and 45 minutes to cover 120 km. What is its speed?
7. A person jogs 10 km in 50 minutes. What is their speed in km/h?
8. A runner completes a marathon (42.195 km) in 4 hours and 30 minutes. What is their speed?
9. A delivery van travels 60 miles in 1 hour and 20 minutes. What is its speed in mph?
10. A person walks 5 km in 1 hour. What is their speed in m/s?

Answers

Easy Level Answers

1. 50 km/h
2. 8 m/s
3. 20 km/h
4. 50 mph
5. 1.33 m/s
6. 3.33 m/s
7. 12 km/h
8. 0.2 m/min
9. 60 km/h
10. 12 km/h

Medium Level Answers

1. 20 km/h
2. 300 mph
3. 50 mph
4. 0.83 m/s
5. 72 km/h
6. 75 km/h
7. 4 km/h
8. 9 km/h
9. 80 km/h
10. 30 m/s

Hard Level Answers

1. 80 km/h
2. 400 mph
3. 18 km/h
4. 0.83 m/s
5. 75 km/h
6. 68.57 km/h
7. 12 km/h
8. 2.36 m/s
9. 45 mph
10. 1.39 m/s

I hope you enjoyed learning about calculating speed! Remember, practice makes perfect, so keep trying the questions and you’ll get the hang of it!