Question

students want to find the average speed of a car driving in front of their school. they choose a utility pole to mark a starting point, as shown below (image of poles labeled start, 1, 2, 3, 4). the students record how much time it takes the car to move from the starting point to each of the next four poles. then they measure the distance from the start to each pole. the data table below shows their measurements:

cars position	time to reach pole (s)	distance from start (m)
pole 1	2.5	40
pole 2	5.0	80
pole 3	7.5	120
pole 4	10.0	160

Explanation:

To find the average speed of the car, we use the formula for average speed, which is \( \text{Average Speed} = \frac{\text{Total Distance}}{\text{Total Time}} \).

Step 1: Identify Total Distance and Total Time

From the data table:

• The total distance traveled by the car when it reaches pole 4 is \( 160 \, \text{m} \) (since the distance from the start to pole 4 is \( 160 \, \text{m} \)).
• The total time taken to reach pole 4 is \( 10.0 \, \text{s} \) (the time recorded for pole 4).

Step 2: Calculate Average Speed

Using the formula for average speed:
\[
\text{Average Speed} = \frac{\text{Total Distance}}{\text{Total Time}} = \frac{160 \, \text{m}}{10.0 \, \text{s}}
\]

Step 3: Perform the Division

\[
\frac{160}{10.0} = 16 \, \text{m/s}
\]

Answer:

The average speed of the car is \( \boxed{16} \) meters per second.