Estimating Speeds & Accelerations (OCR GCSE Combined Science A (Gateway)) : Revision Note

Joanna

Author

Joanna

Last updated

Typical Speeds

  • The table below gives some typical speeds (in m/s) for various everyday scenarios

Typical Speeds Table

Typical Speed Table, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes
  • Note that typical speeds of a person walking, running or cycling depends on a variety of factors, such as:

    • Age

    • Terrain

    • Fitness

    • Distance

  • Similarly, typical speeds of transportation systems like cars or planes will depend on their:

    • Shape

    • Design

    • Cost

    • Purpose

Worked Example

A student claims that people typically walk at 6 m/s.

a) State whether or not you agree with this claim and explain your reasoning.

b) Suggest a factor that can affect the typical speeds of a person walking.

Answer:

Part (a)

  • The student’s claim is incorrect because 6 m/s is too fast

  • The typical speed that people walk at is about 1.5 m/s

Part (b)

  • Some factors that can affect the typical speeds of a person walking are:

    • The terrain might be wet, rocky or steep

    • The age of the person

    • The fitness of the person

    • The length of the walk or journey

Examiner Tips and Tricks

You may be asked to recall typical values of speed for a person walking, running or cycling, or comment on typical values of speed for different types of transportation system - so learn the values in this table and have an idea about how they compare to each other.

Estimating Accelerations

  • The acceleration of an object is a measure of how quickly its velocity changes

  • A typical family car, for example, takes around 10 seconds to go from 0 m/s to 27 m/s (roughly 60 mph)

    • This is an acceleration of about 2.7 m/s2

    • The table below gives some other typical accelerations:

Typical Accelerations Table

Typical Accelerations, downloadable IGCSE & GCSE Physics revision notes

Examiner Tips and Tricks

You should be able to estimate the magnitude of everyday accelerations. Memorise the examples given in the table to develop a sense of the magnitude of different accelerating objects.

👀 You've read 1 of your 5 free revision notes this week
An illustration of students holding their exam resultsUnlock more revision notes. It's free!

By signing up you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.

Already have an account? Log in

Did this page help you?

Joanna

Author: Joanna

Expertise: Physics Content Creator

Joanna obtained her undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge University and completed her MSc in Education at Loughborough University. After a decade of teaching and leading the physics department in a high-performing academic school, Joanna now mentors new teachers and is currently studying part-time for her PhD at Leicester University. Her passions are helping students and learning about cool physics, so creating brilliant resources to help with exam preparation is her dream job!

Download notes on Estimating Speeds & Accelerations