Question 1

A cyclist covers 180 metres in 9 seconds. What is his speed in m/s?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Apply Speed = Distance ÷ Time. Step 2: Speed = 180 ÷ 9 = 20 m/s. Therefore, the cyclist's speed is 20 m/s.

Question 2

A runner completes 400 metres in 50 seconds. At this speed, how many metres will he cover in 2 minutes?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Convert 2 minutes to seconds: 2 × 60 = 120 seconds. Step 2: Find speed: Speed = 400 ÷ 50 = 8 m/s. Step 3: Find distance in 120 seconds: Distance = 8 × 120 = 960 metres. Therefore, he will cover 960 metres.

Question 3

A train travels at 72 km/h. How far will it travel in 5 hours?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Use the formula Distance = Speed × Time. Step 2: Distance = 72 × 5 = 360 km. Therefore, the train will travel 360 km.

Question 4

A man walks 150 metres in 30 seconds. How long will he take to walk 600 metres at the same speed?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Find speed: Speed = 150 ÷ 30 = 5 m/s. Step 2: Find time for 600 m: Time = Distance ÷ Speed = 600 ÷ 5 = 120 seconds. Therefore, he will take 120 seconds.

Question 5

A bus covers 360 km in 6 hours. If it travels at the same speed, how many kilometres will it cover in 9 hours?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Find speed: Speed = 360 ÷ 6 = 60 km/h. Step 2: Find distance in 9 hours: Distance = 60 × 9 = 540 km. Therefore, the bus will cover 540 km.

Question 6

A car travels 240 km in 4 hours. What is its average speed in km/h?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Use the formula Speed = Distance ÷ Time. Step 2: Speed = 240 ÷ 4 = 60 km/h. Therefore, the average speed is 60 km/h.

Question 7

A cyclist covers 180 km in 5 hours. A car covers the same distance in 3 hours. What is the ratio of their speeds?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Cyclist's speed = 180 ÷ 5 = 36 km/h. Step 2: Car's speed = 180 ÷ 3 = 60 km/h. Step 3: Ratio = 36 : 60 = 3 : 5 (dividing both by 12).

Question 8

A man walks at 5 km/h and covers a certain distance in 8 hours. If he walks at 4 km/h, how much extra time will he need to cover the same distance?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Distance = Speed × Time = 5 × 8 = 40 km. Step 2: Time at 4 km/h = 40 ÷ 4 = 10 hours. Step 3: Extra time = 10 - 8 = 2 hours.

Question 9

Two runners start from the same point. Runner A runs at 12 km/h and Runner B runs at 8 km/h in the same direction. After how many hours will Runner A be 20 km ahead of Runner B?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Relative speed = 12 - 8 = 4 km/h (since they run in the same direction). Step 2: Time = Distance ÷ Relative Speed = 20 ÷ 4 = 5 hours.

Question 10

A boat travels 48 km downstream in 3 hours and 48 km upstream in 6 hours. What is the speed of the boat in still water?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Downstream speed = 48 ÷ 3 = 16 km/h. Step 2: Upstream speed = 48 ÷ 6 = 8 km/h. Step 3: Speed of boat in still water = (Downstream speed + Upstream speed) ÷ 2 = (16 + 8) ÷ 2 = 12 km/h.

Question 11

A car travels from City A to City B at 60 km/h and returns at 40 km/h. If the total journey takes 10 hours, what is the distance between the two cities?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Let distance = d km. Time to A→B = d/60 hours. Time to B→A = d/40 hours. Step 2: Total time = d/60 + d/40 = 10. Step 3: LCM(60,40) = 120. So (2d + 3d)/120 = 10 → 5d/120 = 10 → d = 240 km.

Question 12

A train travels from Station A to Station B, covering the first 120 km at 60 km/h and the next 180 km at 90 km/h. If the train halts for 30 minutes at an intermediate station, what is the average speed (in km/h) for the entire journey?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Time for first 120 km = 120/60 = 2 hours. Step 2: Time for next 180 km = 180/90 = 2 hours. Step 3: Halt time = 0.5 hours. Step 4: Total time = 2 + 2 + 0.5 = 4.5 hours. Step 5: Total distance = 120 + 180 = 300 km. Step 6: Average speed = 300/4.5 = 66.67 km/h (or 200/3 km/h).

Question 13

Two cyclists start simultaneously from the same point and travel in the same direction. Cyclist A travels at 24 km/h and Cyclist B travels at 32 km/h. After how many hours will Cyclist B be exactly 40 km ahead of Cyclist A?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Relative speed = 32 - 24 = 8 km/h (B is faster). Step 2: Distance to be covered = 40 km. Step 3: Time = Distance/Relative Speed = 40/8 = 5 hours.

Question 14

A boat travels 60 km downstream in 3 hours and 60 km upstream in 5 hours. What is the speed of the current (in km/h)?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Downstream speed = 60/3 = 20 km/h. Step 2: Upstream speed = 60/5 = 12 km/h. Step 3: Let boat speed = b, current speed = c. Step 4: b + c = 20 and b - c = 12. Step 5: Adding both equations: 2b = 32, so b = 16 km/h. Step 6: Subtracting: 2c = 8, so c = 4 km/h.

Question 15

A car travels from City P to City Q at a speed of 50 km/h. On the return journey from Q to P, the car travels at 75 km/h. If the total time taken for the round trip is 10 hours, what is the distance between City P and City Q (in km)?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Let distance = d km. Step 2: Time from P to Q = d/50 hours. Step 3: Time from Q to P = d/75 hours. Step 4: Total time = d/50 + d/75 = 10. Step 5: Finding LCM of 50 and 75 = 150. Step 6: (3d + 2d)/150 = 10, so 5d/150 = 10. Step 7: d/30 = 10, therefore d = 300 km.

Question 16

A runner covers a certain distance at 12 km/h and returns via the same route at 8 km/h. If the total time taken is 5 hours, what is the total distance covered (in km)?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Let one-way distance = d km. Step 2: Time for first leg = d/12 hours. Step 3: Time for return = d/8 hours. Step 4: Total time = d/12 + d/8 = 5. Step 5: LCM(12,8) = 24. Step 6: (2d + 3d)/24 = 5, so 5d/24 = 5. Step 7: d = 24 km (one-way). Step 8: Total distance = 2d = 48 km.

Question 17

Two trains start simultaneously from opposite ends of a 360 km track. Train A travels at 60 km/h and Train B travels at 90 km/h. After how many minutes will they meet?

Accepted Answer

Step 1: Relative speed (approaching each other) = 60 + 90 = 150 km/h. Step 2: Distance to be covered = 360 km. Step 3: Time = 360/150 = 2.4 hours. Step 4: Convert to minutes = 2.4 × 60 = 144 minutes.

SSC CPO Speed Distance Time

Speed Distance Time— Rules & Concept

Key Points to Remember

Exam-Specific Tips

Speed Distance Time — Practice Questions

60-Second Revision — Speed Distance Time