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A train travelled along a track in 110 minutes, correct to the nearest 5 minutes - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 17 - 2017 - Paper 3
Question 17
A train travelled along a track in 110 minutes, correct to the nearest 5 minutes. Jake finds out that the track is 270 km long. He assumes that the track has been me... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A train travelled along a track in 110 minutes, correct to the nearest 5 minutes - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 17 - 2017 - Paper 3
Step 1
Could the average speed of the train have been greater than 160 km/h?
Answer
The assumption that the track length is 270 km affects the calculation because it is measured to the nearest 10 km. If we were to consider the distance as being accurate to the nearest 5 km instead, the track could actually range from 265 km to 275 km. This means the train could have travelled a shorter distance than assumed. Consequently, as distance decreases while time remains constant, the average speed calculated will also decrease. This is essential in reaffirming the conclusion from part (a), as the possibility of the average speed exceeding 160 km/h becomes even more unlikely when accounting for the shorter potential distance.