A car travels first half distance between two places with a speed of 40 km/hr…

2023

A car travels first half distance between two places with a speed of 40 km/hr and rest of the half distance with a speed of 60 km/hr. The average speed of the car is:

  1. A.

    68 Km/hr

  2. B.

    48 Km/hr

  3. C.

    28 Km/hr

  4. D.

    58 Km/hr

Attempted by 81 students.

Show answer & explanation

Correct answer: B

Answer: 48 km/hr

  • Take the total distance as 2 km, so each half-distance is 1 km.

  • Time for first half = distance/speed = 1/40 hr; time for second half = 1/60 hr.

  • Total time = 1/40 + 1/60 = (3 + 2)/120 = 5/120 = 1/24 hr.

  • Average speed = total distance / total time = 2 / (1/24) = 48 km/hr.

Shortcut: For equal distances, the average speed is the harmonic mean: 2*v1*v2/(v1+v2) = 2*40*60/(40+60) = 48 km/hr.

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