Speed and acceleration

  • Speedy Sidney
    problem

    Speedy Sidney

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    filled star filled star filled star

    Two trains set off at the same time from each end of a single straight railway line. A very fast bee starts off in front of the first train and flies continuously back and forth between the two trains. How far does Sidney fly before he is squashed between the two trains?

  • N is a Number
    problem

    N Is a Number

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    filled star filled star filled star
    N people visit their friends staying N kilometres along the coast. Some walk along the cliff path at N km an hour, the rest go by car. How long is the road?
  • Revolutions
    problem

    Revolutions

    Age
    11 to 14
    Challenge level
    filled star filled star filled star

    Jack and Jill run at different speeds in opposite directions around the maypole. How many times do they pass in the first minute?

  • In Constantly Passing
    problem

    In Constantly Passing

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    filled star empty star empty star

    A car is travelling along a dual carriageway at constant speed. Every 3 minutes a bus passes going in the opposite direction, while every 6 minutes a bus passes the car travelling in the same direction. Buses leave the depot at regular intervals; they travel along the dual carriageway and back to the depot at a constant speed. At what interval do the buses leave the depot?

  • Tummy Ache
    problem

    Tummy Ache

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    filled star empty star empty star

    Timmy, Tammy and Tommy all go to the doctors. In what order do they arrive at the surgery?

  • An Average Average Speed
    problem

    An Average Average Speed

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    filled star empty star empty star

    My average speed for a journey was 50 mph, my return average speed of 70 mph. Why wasn't my average speed for the round trip 60mph ?

  • Jumping Gerbils
    problem

    Jumping Gerbils

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    filled star filled star empty star

    A conveyor belt, with tins placed at regular intervals, is moving at a steady rate towards a labelling machine. A gerbil starts from the beginning of the belt and jumps from tin to tin.

  • Four on the Road
    problem

    Four on the Road

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    filled star filled star empty star
    Four vehicles travel along a road one afternoon. Can you make sense of the graphs showing their motion?
  • How do you react?
    problem

    How Do You React?

    Age
    14 to 16
    Challenge level
    filled star filled star empty star
    To investigate the relationship between the distance the ruler drops and the time taken, we need to do some mathematical modelling...