Calculating the Distance a Car Travels at 60 MPH in Two Seconds

Understanding the speed of a vehicle and the distance it covers in a given time is fundamental for many applications, from traffic safety to everyday driving. Let's delve into the calculations to determine how far a car moving at 60 miles per hour (mph) travels in just 2 seconds.

Converting Speed from Miles per Hour to Miles per Second

To solve the problem, we start with the formula for distance:

Distance Speed × Time

First, we need to convert the speed from miles per hour (mph) to miles per second (mps).

Given that 60 mph is equivalent to:

Speed (frac{60 text{ miles}}{3600 text{ seconds}} frac{1}{60} text{ miles per second})

Calculating Distance Traveled in 2 Seconds

Using the formula and the speed in miles per second, we can calculate the distance traveled in 2 seconds:

Distance (frac{1}{60} text{ miles/second} times 2 text{ seconds} frac{2}{60} text{ miles} frac{1}{30} text{ miles})

For practical purposes, it might be more convenient to convert this distance into feet, as there are 5280 feet in a mile:

Distance (frac{1}{30} text{ miles} times 5280 text{ feet/mile} approx 176 text{ feet})

Therefore, a car traveling at 60 mph will cover approximately 176 feet in 2 seconds.

Other Methods of Calculation

There are several ways to arrive at the same result, and some useful references:

1. Conversion to Feet per Second (fps)
Remember that 60 miles per hour is exactly 88 feet per second. Thus, in 2 seconds, the distance is:

88 fps × 2 seconds 176 feet

2. Direct Mathematical Calculation
Another approach is to use a step-by-step conversion:

2 seconds × (frac{1 text{ hour}}{3600 text{ seconds}} times frac{60 text{ miles}}{1 text{ hour}} times frac{5280 text{ feet}}{1 text{ mile}} 176 text{ feet})

3. Simplified Conversion
As 60 mph is a mile per minute and 1 mile is 5280 feet, we can calculate:

(frac{5280 text{ feet}}{60 text{ seconds}} 88 text{ feet/second})

In 2 seconds, the distance would be:

88 feet/second × 2 seconds 176 feet

Conclusion

Understanding the speed and distance traveled by a car at 60 mph in 2 seconds is a useful skill in traffic safety and other applications. By converting units and using different methods of calculation, we can accurately determine the distance a car travels in a given time. The key is to always keep basic conversion factors in mind.

Related Keywords

Car Speed Calculation

Distance Traveled

60 mph Travel