Practice Speed in Physics

Use these practice problems to test your method after reviewing the concept explanation and worked examples.

Worksheet PDF Free Answer-key PDF Family

Quick Recap

The rate at which an object covers distance over time, calculated as total distance divided by total time, always expressed as a non-negative scalar quantity.

How fast you're going, ignoring which way—just the magnitude of motion.

Showing a random 20 of 50 problems.

Example 1

medium
A car goes 30 m/s for the first 2 s and 10 m/s for the next 6 s. Average speed?

Example 2

easy
A car's velocity is −15 m/s. What is its speed?

Example 3

challenge
A cyclist averages 20 km/h on a flat stretch. To average 30 km/h over a round trip (same flat stretch out and back), what speed is needed on the return?

Example 4

medium
A runner covers 1500 m in 5 min. Express the speed in m/s.

Example 5

easy
A jogger runs 5 km in 25 minutes. What is the average speed in m/s?

Example 6

medium
A jogger runs 2 km in 10 min. Express the speed in km/h.

Example 7

easy
Convert 108 km/h to m/s.

Example 8

easy
A car covers 100 m in 5 s. Find its speed.

Example 9

medium
A car travels 80 m in 4 s and then 60 m in 2 s. Find the average speed.

Example 10

medium
A wheel point moves 0.4 m each rotation and completes 5 rotations in 2 s. Find its speed.

Example 11

hard
A boat moves at 8 km/h in still water. A river flows at 3 km/h. Find the boat's speed when going downstream and when going upstream.

Example 12

challenge
A car travels half the distance at 30 km/h and half at 60 km/h. Find the average speed.

Example 13

challenge
A car travels equal times at 30 and 60 km/h. Find the average speed and explain why it differs from the equal-distance case.

Example 14

challenge
A dog runs back and forth at 10 m/s between two walkers approaching each other; the walkers take 120 s to meet. Total distance the dog runs?

Example 15

easy
Light travels 300,000 km in 1 s. Speed in km/s?

Example 16

easy
A walker takes 50 s to cover 150 m. Find the speed.

Example 17

hard
Bird A flies at 12 m/s east; bird B flies at 5 m/s west. Find the speed of A relative to B.

Example 18

hard
A car travels 13 of the distance at 30 km/h and 23 at 60 km/h. Find the average speed.

Example 19

hard
Two cars start 300 km apart and drive toward each other at 40 km/h and 60 km/h. When and where do they meet?

Example 20

hard
A train of length 200 m moves at 36 km/h. How long does it take to fully cross a 400 m platform?
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