Car travels from A to B at a speed of 40 km/h and returns back at a speed of 60 km/h. Its average speed will be
A. 40 km/h
B. 48 km/h
C. 50 km/h
D. 60 km/h
Answer: Option B
Solution (By Examveda Team)
Understanding Average Speed:Average speed isn't just the simple average of two speeds. It's about the total distance covered divided by the total time taken.
Let's break it down:
Imagine the distance between A and B is 120 km (we can choose any distance, this makes the calculation easy).
Going from A to B:
Speed = 40 km/h
Distance = 120 km
Time = Distance / Speed = 120 km / 40 km/h = 3 hours
Returning from B to A:
Speed = 60 km/h
Distance = 120 km
Time = Distance / Speed = 120 km / 60 km/h = 2 hours
Calculating Average Speed:
Total distance = 120 km + 120 km = 240 km
Total time = 3 hours + 2 hours = 5 hours
Average speed = Total distance / Total time = 240 km / 5 hours = 48 km/h
Therefore, the correct answer is B: 48 km/h
Remember: Average speed depends on both the distance and the time taken for each part of the journey. It's not simply adding the speeds and dividing by two.
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