SOLUTION: How long does it take someone traveling 30 mph to travel 284 feet. I thought it was t=d/r, turning the distance of 284 to a % of miles, or .0537878. I came up with .0537878/30mph=.

Algebra ->  Customizable Word Problem Solvers  -> Travel -> SOLUTION: How long does it take someone traveling 30 mph to travel 284 feet. I thought it was t=d/r, turning the distance of 284 to a % of miles, or .0537878. I came up with .0537878/30mph=.      Log On

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Question 416911: How long does it take someone traveling 30 mph to travel 284 feet. I thought it was t=d/r, turning the distance of 284 to a % of miles, or .0537878. I came up with .0537878/30mph=.00179. But now I'm confused about what .00179 is. So, I divided is by 60, thinking it was a percentage of an hour and came up with 2.98. Would that be right...it takes 2.98 seconds to travel 284 feet if you're going 30 mph?
Answer by htmentor(1343) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Everything you did up until the end was correct, but I think you lost track of units.
284 ft = 284 ft/(5280 ft/mi) = 0.0537878 miles. Keeping the units in the calculation helps avoid confusion.
You are correct that t = d/r.
Using the value for r given in the problem and the distance in miles that we just calculated gives
t = 0.0537878 mi/(30 mi/hr) = 0.001793 hrs.
This is the time required in hrs.
Converting to seconds gives -> 0.001793 hr * 60 min/hr * 60 sec/min = 6.45 sec.
Notice that the hr and min cancel and we are left with secs.