What distance can a vehicle cover in five seconds when traveling at a speed of 55 mph?

• A. Half a mile
• B. The length of a football field
• C. Two blocks
• D. A city block

Answer: (B)

To determine the distance a vehicle can cover in five seconds when traveling at a speed of 55 mph, it is essential to convert the speed into a more applicable unit for the time frame given.

First, converting miles per hour to feet per second is necessary. Since there are 5280 feet in a mile and 3600 seconds in an hour, we can convert as follows:

1 mile = 5280 feet

1 hour = 3600 seconds

So, to convert 55 mph into feet per second:

55 miles/hour * (5280 feet/mile) / (3600 seconds/hour) ≈ 80.67 feet/second.

Now, multiplying the speed in feet per second by the time (in seconds) gives the distance:

80.67 feet/second * 5 seconds = 403.33 feet.

To put this in perspective, a standard football field, including the end zones, is approximately 360 feet long. Therefore, covering around 403 feet in five seconds means that the vehicle would travel slightly more than the length of a football field.

This makes the choice referring to the length of a football field the most accurate and reasonable answer in this context.