Speed = Distance ÷ Time

Speed tells you how much distance is covered in each unit of time. Dividing distance by time works because it spreads the total travel evenly across the time taken, giving a rate such as kilometres per hour or metres per second. If the distance is bigger for the same time, the speed is higher; if the same distance takes longer, the speed is lower.

Use this formula whenever you know how far something traveled and how long it took, and you want to find its average speed. It is common in travel questions, motion problems, and science measurements involving moving objects.

• Using the wrong units, such as mixing metres with hours without converting
• Dividing time by distance instead of distance by time
• Confusing speed with velocity and forgetting that this formula gives average speed