The fastest lion ever recorded ran approximately 402 meters in 18 seconds. Which expression shows how to correctly determine the speed in meters per second? 1) 402 meters ÷ 18 seconds 2) 18 seconds ÷ 402 meters 3) 402 seconds ÷ 18 meters 4) 18 meters ÷ 402 seconds
The Correct Answer and Explanation is:
The correct answer is 1) 402 meters ÷ 18 seconds.
Explanation:
To determine the speed of an object, the formula is:
[
\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}}
]
In this case, the distance traveled by the lion is 402 meters, and the time it took to run that distance is 18 seconds. We can apply the formula for speed to find out how many meters the lion covered per second.
[
\text{Speed} = \frac{\text{Distance}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{402 \, \text{meters}}{18 \, \text{seconds}}
]
This division gives the result in units of meters per second, which is the correct unit for speed.
Why the other options are incorrect:
- Option 2: 18 seconds ÷ 402 meters would give the inverse of speed: the time per meter, which is not what we need. This would tell us how long it takes the lion to run one meter, not how fast the lion is running.
- Option 3: 402 seconds ÷ 18 meters is also incorrect. It uses the wrong values for distance and time, swapping them and thereby resulting in an incorrect unit of “seconds per meter.” This is not a valid way to calculate speed.
- Option 4: 18 meters ÷ 402 seconds is another incorrect choice. It reverses the distance and time and would give us an incorrect value of “meters per second,” but the wrong ratio.
So, the correct and logical formula for speed in this context is 402 meters ÷ 18 seconds, which will give us the lion’s speed in meters per second.
Calculation:
If you perform the division:
[
\text{Speed} = \frac{402}{18} = 22.33 \, \text{meters per second}
]
Therefore, the lion’s speed is approximately 22.33 meters per second.