Compare the motion of three sailboats. Which sailboat was moving at the lowest speed?
a sailboat that moved 135kilometers west in 10hours a sailboat that moved 105kilometers north in 10hours a sailboat that moved 140kilometers south in 10hours
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 kilometer.
Time tells you how long the object has spent moving. One unit used to measure time is the hour.
Think about objects moving for the same amount of time. The object that is moving the slowest will go the shortest distance in that time. It is moving at the lowest speed.
Look at the distance each sailboat moved and the time it took to move that distance. The direction each sailboat moved does not affect its speed.
Notice that each sailboat moved for 10 hours. The sailboat that moved 105 kilometers moved the shortest distance in that time. So, that sailboat must have moved at the lowest speed.