Compare the motion of three ships. Which ship was moving at the lowest speed?
a ship that moved 230miles east in 10hours a ship that moved 220miles south in 10hours a ship that moved 240miles west 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 mile.
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 ship moved and the time it took to move that distance. The direction each ship moved does not affect its speed.
Notice that each ship moved for 10 hours. The ship that moved 220 miles moved the shortest distance in that time. So, that ship must have moved at the lowest speed.