Average speed for an outward and return journey

Average speed for an outward and return journey

IP 2
8 marks

A cyclist rides \(d\) km from home to a park at a constant \(u\) km/h and returns along the same route at a constant \(v\) km/h.

  1. Show that the average speed for the whole journey is \(\dfrac{2uv}{u+v}\) km/h.[3]
  2. The cyclist rides to the park at \(15\) km/h. Find the return speed needed for an average speed of \(20\) km/h.[2]
  3. Explain why no return speed can give an average speed of \(30\) km/h when the outward speed is \(15\) km/h. State one assumption of the model.[3]

Solution:

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Answer:(a) Shown (b) \(30\) km/h (c) The equation reduces to \(0=450\); average is always below \(30\) km/h. Assumption: constant speeds, no stops

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