AQA · GCSE · Physics
Course version: 8463 · Version from Sept 2016
Typical values may be taken as: walking ̴ 1.5 m/s running ̴ 3 m/s cycling…
Full specification wording
Speed: Typical values may be taken as: walking ̴ 1.5 m/s running ̴ 3 m/s cycling ̴ 6 m/s.
These three figures have to be remembered, because questions use them without supplying them: a walker about 1.5 m/s, a runner about 3 m/s and a cyclist about 6 m/s.
Checked against the AQA 8463 specification (opens in a new tab) on .
- Point 4 of 9
Study notes
From the checked teaching notes for this specification point.
The idea
These three figures have to be remembered, because questions use them without supplying them: a walker about 1.5 m/s, a runner about 3 m/s and a cyclist about 6 m/s. Learn them as a doubling sequence. Check them against experience, since 1.5 m/s is roughly 5.4 km/h, which is a brisk walk, and a cyclist at 6 m/s covers a kilometre in under three minutes. The word typical matters, because an answer within a sensible range is accepted and a sprinter or racing cyclist is faster. Use the values for estimates: a 300 m walk to the shop takes about 200 s, and a runner covering 1.2 km takes around 400 s. The same style of question also asks for transport speeds, so learn a car at roughly 25 m/s as well.
What earns the marks
- A walking speed of about 1.5 m/s.
- A running speed of about 3 m/s.
- A cycling speed of about 6 m/s.
- A typical value used correctly in an estimate of a distance or a time.
Common mistakes and how to put them right
Quoting the values in kilometres per hour when the equation needs metres per second.
Giving a cycling speed lower than a running speed.
Treating the typical values as exact, so that any other number is thought to be wrong.
Using a sprinter's speed as the typical running speed.
Exam tips
- Learn them as one and a half, three and six, each roughly double the one before.
- If a question gives no speed at all, it expects you to supply the typical value.
Try the lesson
The start of the Speed: Typical values may be taken as: walking ̴ 1.5 m/s running ̴ 3 m/s cycling ̴ 6 m/s. lesson, made from checked teaching notes for this specification point.
Have a go first
What is a typical speed for a person walking?
Listen
These three figures have to be remembered, because questions use them without supplying them: a walker about 1.5 m/s, a runner about 3 m/s and a cyclist about 6 m/s. Learn them as a doubling sequence. Check them against experience, since 1.5 m/s is roughly 5.4 km/h, which is a brisk walk, and a cyclist at 6 m/s covers a kilometre in under three minutes. The word typical matters, because an answer within a sensible range is accepted and a sprinter or racing cyclist is faster. Use the values for estimates: a 300 m walk to the shop takes about 200 s, and a runner covering 1.2 km takes around 400 s. The same style of question also asks for transport speeds, so learn a car at roughly 25 m/s as well. A strong answer earns marks for these points. a walking speed of about 1.5 m/s. a running speed of about 3 m/s. a cycling speed of about 6 m/s. a typical value used correctly in an estimate of a distance or a time. Exam tip: Learn them as one and a half, three and six, each roughly double the one before.
See it
Put it in order
Put these steps in the order they happen.
- 1. Running ~3 m/s
- 2. Cycling ~6 m/s
- 3. Walking ~1.5 m/s
Label the diagram
Some boxes have lost their names. Pick the right name for each number.
1Box 1
2Box 2
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