Compare the motion of two humpback whales. Which humpback whale was moving at a higher speed?
a humpback whale that moved 15miles in 5hours a humpback whale that moved 25miles in 5hours
An object's speed tells you how fast the object is moving. Speed depends on both distance and time.
Distance tells you how far the object has moved. One unit used to measure distance is the mile.
Time tells you how long the object has spent moving. One unit used to measure time is the hour.
Think about two objects moving for the same amount of time. The object that is moving faster will go a farther distance in that time. It is moving at a higher speed.
Look at the distance each humpback whale moved and the time it took to move that distance.
One humpback whale moved 25 miles in 5 hours.
The other humpback whale moved 15 miles in 5 hours.
Notice that each humpback whale spent the same amount of time moving. The humpback whale that moved 25 miles moved a farther distance in that time. So, that humpback whale must have moved at a higher speed.