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Question

A person can walk at a speed of 0.5 meters/second. How far will he walk in 8 minutes?

The correct answer is

240 m

Calculating Walking Distance Based on Speed and Time

This problem asks us to determine the distance a person walks given their speed and the duration of their walk. We are provided with the speed in meters per second and the time in minutes. To solve this, we need to ensure all units are consistent before applying the formula relating distance, speed, and time.

Understanding the Given Information

  • Speed of the person: 0.5 meters per second
  • Time spent walking: 8 minutes

Unit Conversion: Minutes to Seconds

The speed is given in meters per second, but the time is given in minutes. To use the formula \( \text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} \), the units of time must be the same. We need to convert minutes into seconds.

There are 60 seconds in 1 minute.

So, to convert 8 minutes to seconds, we multiply 8 by 60:

\( \text{Time in seconds} = \text{Time in minutes} \times 60 \)

\( \text{Time in seconds} = 8 \times 60 \)

\( \text{Time in seconds} = 480 \text{ seconds} \)

Calculating the Distance Walked

Now that we have the speed in meters per second and the time in seconds, we can calculate the distance walked using the formula:

\( \text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} \)

Substitute the given speed (0.5 m/s) and the converted time (480 s) into the formula:

\( \text{Distance} = 0.5 \, \text{m/s} \times 480 \, \text{s} \)

\( \text{Distance} = \frac{1}{2} \times 480 \, \text{m} \)

\( \text{Distance} = 240 \, \text{m} \)

The person will walk 240 meters in 8 minutes.

Comparing with Options

Let's look at the given options:

  • Option 1: 250 m
  • Option 2: 200 m
  • Option 3: 120 m
  • Option 4: 240 m

Our calculated distance is 240 m, which matches Option 4.

Given Value Units
Speed 0.5 meters/second (m/s)
Time 8 minutes (min)

Conversion Calculation Result
Time (minutes to seconds) \( 8 \text{ min} \times 60 \text{ s/min} \) 480 seconds

Calculation Formula Result
Distance \( \text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} \) \( 0.5 \, \text{m/s} \times 480 \, \text{s} = 240 \, \text{m} \)

Revision Table: Speed, Distance, Time Calculation

Here's a quick summary of the concepts used:

Concept Definition/Formula
Speed Rate at which distance is covered per unit of time. \( \text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} \)
Distance Total length covered during motion. \( \text{Distance} = \text{Speed} \times \text{Time} \)
Time Duration of the motion. \( \text{Time} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Speed}} \)
Unit Consistency All quantities must be in compatible units (e.g., meters and seconds, or kilometers and hours) before calculation.

Additional Information: Understanding Units

It is crucial in physics and mathematics problems to pay close attention to units. When performing calculations, units must be consistent. If they are not, you must convert them. Common units for speed, distance, and time include:

  • Speed: meters per second (m/s), kilometers per hour (km/h), miles per hour (mph)
  • Distance: meters (m), kilometers (km), miles, feet
  • Time: seconds (s), minutes (min), hours (h)

Incorrect unit usage is a common source of errors in problems involving speed, distance, and time calculations.

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Important Questions from Relative Speed

  1. Two trains start from places A and B. respectively, and travel towards each other at the speeds of 60 km/h and 50 km/h. respectively. By the time they meet, the faster train has travelled 110 km more than the slower train. What is the distance between A and B?

  2. A train can cross a tunnel of length 600 m in 54 seconds, and it can cross a 350 m long bridge in 36 seconds. Which of the following statements is/are correct?

    (i) The speed of the train is 60 km/h.

    (ii) The length of the train is 150 m

  3. Raghu and Raman start together to walk a certain equal distance at a speed of 10 km/h and 8 km/h, respectively. Raghu arrives 30 minutes before Raman arrives. Find the distance between the start and the end point. 

  4. A and B started simultaneously and proceeded towards each other from places X and Y, respectively. After meeting each other at a certain point on the way, A and B took 3.2 hours and 1.8 hours, to reach Y and X, respectively. If the speed of B was 12 km/h, then the speed (in km/h) of A was:

  5. Anil started his journey in the morning. Till 10 a.m., he covered \(\frac{1}{2}\) of his journey, and on the same day till 1 a.m., he covered \(\frac{4}{5}\) of his journey. At what time did he start his journey?

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