Name: ____________________________
Block: _____________
Date: _________________
Speed of a Car – Activity
Objective: In this activity students will determine the real life average speed of cars travelling down a
straight road.
Materials:


Stopwatch
Measuring Tape
Data Table:
Car Number
Distance Travelled (meters)
Time Travelled (Seconds)
Analysis: Using the equation for average speed, determine the average speed for each car.
Car Number
Average Speed (m/s)
Name: ____________________________
Block: _____________
Date: _________________
Conclusion Questions: Answer in COMPLETE SENTENCES!
The speed limit in front of the school is 25 mph. Convert this value to meters per second.
Were any of the cars speeding? How can you tell?
Do you think our measurements were very accurate for the speed of the car?
What could have caused us to calculate an incorrect speed for the car?
A police office is sitting out front of the school and using the same distance the class did to determine if
cars are speeding. How much time would the officer’s stopwatch read if the car is traveling 40 mph (15
mph over the speed limit)?