Skip to content

Average speed for non-uniform motion

In a real journey the speed is rarely steady. A car speeds up, slows down and stops at lights. This is non-uniform motion, because the speed changes during the journey. A speedometer shows the instantaneous speed, which is the speed at one moment.

To describe a whole journey with one number we use the average speed. Average speed is the total distance travelled divided by the total time taken: average speed = total distance ÷ total time. With distance in metres and time in seconds, the answer is in m/s.

The total time must include any time spent stationary. A cyclist rides 900 m in 150 s, then rests for 50 s. The total time is 150 s + 50 s = 200 s, so the average speed is 900 m ÷ 200 s = 4.5 m/s. Dividing by 150 s would give the speed while moving, not the average speed for the whole journey.

Read the text

Read the text and highlight anything you think is important. When you go on, the text is hidden and you answer from memory.