AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Students should be able to recall typical values of speed for a person…
Full specification wording
Speed: Students should be able to recall typical values of speed for a person walking, running and cycling as well as the typical values of speed for different types of transportation systems.
Examiners expect students to recall typical speeds for human movement and transport.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 5 of 9
- 2 key terms
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
Examiners expect students to recall typical speeds for human movement and transport. For a person, typical values are walking at ~1.5 m/s, running at ~3 m/s, and cycling at ~6 m/s. For transport, sensible estimates include a car on a main road at ~13-30 m/s, a train at ~50 m/s, and a passenger aircraft at ~250 m/s. These figures are crucial for estimation questions and checking calculations. If a calculated speed for a walking person is 60 m/s, a unit conversion error or misplaced decimal point is likely. Remember to convert kilometres per hour to metres per second by dividing by 3.6.
What earns the marks
- Recalling a typical speed for walking (1.5 m/s), running (3 m/s) or cycling (6 m/s).
- A typical speed quoted for a named form of transport in metres per second.
- Converting a speed from kilometres per hour into metres per second where needed.
- Using a typical value correctly in an estimate calculation.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Confusing the typical speeds for walking, running and cycling, such as stating a person walks at 6 m/s.
Quoting a train or aircraft speed in miles per hour and substituting it unconverted.
Multiplying by 3.6 instead of dividing when converting from kilometres per hour to metres per second.
Exam tips
- Memorise the 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 m/s sequence for walking, running and cycling.
- Divide by 3.6 to go from kilometres per hour to metres per second, and multiply to go back.
Try the lesson
The start of the Speed: Students should be able to recall typical values of speed for a person walking, running and cycling as well as the typical values of speed for different types of transportation systems. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
Which of these is a typical speed for a person walking?
Listen
Examiners expect students to recall typical speeds for human movement and transport. For a person, typical values are walking at ~1.5 m/s, running at ~3 m/s, and cycling at ~6 m/s. For transport, sensible estimates include a car on a main road at ~13-30 m/s, a train at ~50 m/s, and a passenger aircraft at ~250 m/s. These figures are crucial for estimation questions and checking calculations. If a calculated speed for a walking person is 60 m/s, a unit conversion error or misplaced decimal point is likely. Remember to convert kilometres per hour to metres per second by dividing by 3.6. A strong answer earns marks for these points. recalling a typical speed for walking (1.5 m/s), running (3 m/s) or cycling (6 m/s). a typical speed quoted for a named form of transport in metres per second. converting a speed from kilometres per hour into metres per second where needed. using a typical value correctly in an estimate calculation. Exam tip: Memorise the 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 m/s sequence for walking, running and cycling.
See it
Key words
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typical speeds
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transport speeds
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See every definition
- typical speeds
- Values for a person walking, running and cycling, and for different types of transportation systems, that students should be able to recall.
- transport speeds
- Sensible estimates such as a car on a main road at about 13-30 m/s, a train at about 50 m/s and a passenger aircraft at about 250 m/s.
Label the diagram
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1Box 1
2Box 2
3Box 3
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