Translating verbal situations, or word problems, into equations and tables of values is an important mathematical skill, since real-world problems do not often present themselves in mathematical terms. The mathematics often has to be inferred from the context of the sentence.
Source: Marathon de New York: Verrazano Bridge, martineric, www.flickr.com.
A marathon is a foot race that is run at a distance of 26.2 miles. The name marathon comes from the Greek town called Marathon, which is located 26.2 miles from Athens. According to legend, an ancient Greek messenger ran from Athens to Marathon to share the good news that the Greek army had just been victorious in battle. Hence, the distance between Athens and Marathon has become a benchmark distance for a foot race for modern runners.
You are familiar with the equation that relates distance, rate, and time:
D = rt
In this equation, d represents distance, r represents rate, and t represents time.
Scenario: You have been given the following information: distance and time. What equation would you use to find the rate?
Drag these elements into the ? boxes below.
Use the equation that you just found in order to help solve the following problem:
The finishing times for four friends who ran the Big-D Texas Marathon in Dallas, a distance of 26.2 miles, are shown. Use the relationship between distance, rate, and time to determine their average running speeds.
Click and drag the average running speed to match the runner's running time.
Practice
Courtney and her family are driving from their home in San Angelo to visit her older sister in College Station, a distance of 290 miles. The drive took them about 5 One over Two
1
2
hours. At this same average speed, how long (in hours and minutes) would it take Courtney and her family to drive from San Angelo to Fort Worth, a distance of 230 miles?
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Hint
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Check Your Answer
Hai subscribes to an online bookstore. He pays an annual membership of $12.50, and then can download books for either $5.99 or $3.99. Last year, he downloaded 9 books for $5.99 each and 16 books for $3.99 each. How much did Hai pay, in all, to the online bookstore?
Use the grid below to record your answer. Type your answer in the boxes in front of and behind the decimal. Click inside each box to enter the numeral that belongs in the box. Click the bubble beneath the numeral to shade the bubble that matches the numeral. Incorrect portions of your answer will be shaded gray.
