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A bee flies from its hive to a flower at a constant speed of 7.5 metres per second for 10 seconds - OCR - GCSE Maths - Question 20 - 2018 - Paper 1
Question 20
A bee flies from its hive to a flower at a constant speed of 7.5 metres per second for 10 seconds. The bee then takes 15 seconds to fly back to the hive. Assume the ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:A bee flies from its hive to a flower at a constant speed of 7.5 metres per second for 10 seconds - OCR - GCSE Maths - Question 20 - 2018 - Paper 1
Step 1
Ignoring the time spent at the flower, work out the overall average speed of the bee in its flight from the hive to the flower and back.
Answer
To find the overall average speed of the bee, we first need to calculate the total distance traveled and the total time taken.
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Calculate distance to the flower:
- Speed = 7.5 m/s
- Time = 10 s
- Distance = Speed × Time =
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Calculate distance from the flower back to the hive:
- Distance = 75 m (the same distance as going to the flower)
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Total distance traveled:
- Total distance = Distance to the flower + Distance back to the hive =
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Calculate total time taken:
- Time to flower = 10 s
- Time back to hive = 15 s
- Total time =
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Calculate overall average speed:
- Average Speed = Total Distance ÷ Total Time = .
Step 2
If the bee is not assumed to fly in a straight line, how might your answer be affected?
Answer
If the bee does not fly in a straight line, the distance covered would be greater than if it traveled directly to and from the flower. This means that the time taken might also be longer than calculated, as the bee would have to navigate around obstacles. As a result, the overall average speed of the bee would be lower than the calculated 6 m/s.