Typical Speeds
- The table below gives some typical speeds (in m/s) for various everyday scenarios
Typical Speeds Table
- 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.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
- Some factors that can affect the typical speeds of a person walking are:
Examiner Tip
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.