A person crosses a 600 metre long street in 5 minutes. What is his speed in kilometer per hour?

Appeared in: OSSSC Nursing Officer-2021

Explanation

The core task is to calculate speed using the formula Speed = Distance / Time and convert the units to kilometers per hour (km/h).
First, convert the distance from meters to kilometers: 600 m is equal to 0.6 km (since 1 km = 1000 m).
Next, convert the time from minutes to hours: 5 minutes is equal to 5/60 or 1/12 of an hour.
Finally, calculate the speed: Speed = 0.6 km / (1/12) h = 0.6 × 12 km/h = 7.2 km/h.

Option A: This value would be the correct speed if the time taken was 10 minutes instead of 5. Calculation: 0.6 km / (10/60) h = 3.6 km/h.
Option C: This is a calculation error and does not correspond to a logical misinterpretation of the given values or a common mistake in unit conversion.
Option D: This value is a calculation error. It might result from incorrectly dividing or multiplying the numbers, for instance, by incorrectly converting minutes to hours (e.g., 600/60).

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Calculation of speed, distance, and time with unit conversion as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Basic mathematical skills are essential for nurses for tasks like drug dosage calculations, IV drip rate monitoring, and interpreting patient data charts.
This type of unit conversion is directly applicable in clinical settings, for example, converting patient weight from pounds to kilograms or medication doses from milligrams to grams.
What if? If the person crossed the 600m street in 3 minutes, the speed would be higher. The calculation would be: 0.6 km / (3/60) h = 0.6 / 0.05 = 12 km/h.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the given values: Distance = 600 m and Time = 5 min.
Next, identify the required unit for the answer: speed in kilometers per hour (km/h).
Recognize that unit conversions are necessary. Convert the distance from meters to kilometers (divide by 1000).
Convert the time from minutes to hours (divide by 60).
Apply the fundamental formula: Speed = Distance / Time.
Substitute the converted values into the formula and solve for the speed.

Concept Tested & Keywords

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