Skip to content
Smartable Academy
Smartable tools

← Measurement of Time and Motion

Your progress

Checking your sign-in…

Who's learning?

Each profile keeps its own read lessons, badges, streak, and practice scores on this device.

Lesson 4 of 16

How fast

Show on a big screen

5 min

Text size

Two cyclists ride 600 m. One takes 75 s. The other takes 60 s. Who is faster?

Loading lab…

The idea

The cyclist who takes 60 s is faster. Both ride 600 m, so less time means more speed.

Covering a distance means travelling that far. Speed is the distance covered in one unit of time.

Speed = distance ÷ time.

A cycle covers 900 m in 180 s. Its speed is 900 ÷ 180 = 5 m/s. The unit m/s means metres in each second.

A bus and a cycle both cover 900 m.
Step 1 of 4
  1. A bus and a cycle both cover 900 m.
  2. The bus takes 90 s.
  3. The cycle takes 180 s.
  4. Bus: 10 m/s. Cycle: 5 m/s.

Distance = speed × time. Time = distance ÷ speed.

A train goes at 60 km/h. The unit km/h means kilometres in each hour. How long does it take to cover 240 km? Time = distance ÷ speed = 240 ÷ 60 = 4 h.

Try the lab to finish this lesson.