Analyzing the Formula D = RT: Shirley Paxtor

Name______________________________

An Application of Linear Equations 1

Section_________________
One application of linear equations is the concept of the relationship between the distance travelled, the rate of
travel, and the time travelled. If you assume that the rate is a constant, the relationship becomes the formula:
=

A. For this project you need to estimate the distance in miles you travel from home to either school or work:
10
D=__________mi.

Next estimate the time in hours you travel from home to either school or work. If you know the minutes, you can
divide your answer by 60 to get hours. For example 45 minutes = 45/60 = 0.75 hours: 0.25
T=__________hr.

Using D=RT, insert your D and T values into this formula and write the resulting equation and solve it for R in the
space provided here: 10=R(0.25)
10=R(0.25)
__________
0.25 0.25

40
(This represents the average speed during this trip) R=__________mph.

B. What if you needed to get there in 0.5 hours? How fast would you have to go?
Using D=RT, insert your D value and the new T value into this formula and write the resulting equation and solve
it for R in the space provided here: 10=R(0.5)
10=R(0.5)
________
0.5 0.5

20
(This represents the average speed you would need to go) R=___________mph.

C. What if you were traveling 33 mph? How long would it take?

Using D=RT, insert your D value and the new R value into this formula and write the resulting equation and solve
it for T in the space provided here: R=11

33=11T

33=11T
________
11 11

3
(This represents the time this trip would take) T=__________hr .
Adapted from a project created by Zeph Smith