Which statement about speed is correct?

• A. Speed is distance divided by time.
• B. Speed is distance multiplied by time.
• C. Speed is time divided by distance.
• D. Speed is distance plus time.

Answer: (A)

Speed describes how fast something moves, meaning how much distance is covered in a given amount of time. It’s computed by dividing distance by time, so the speed is the distance you travel for each unit of time (s = d/t). For example, going 100 kilometers in 2 hours gives a speed of 50 km/h. This captures the idea of a rate of motion. Multiplying distance by time doesn’t yield a speed, because the result would mix two quantities into a product without representing how fast you’re moving. Time divided by distance would give the reciprocal of speed, not speed itself. Adding distance and time isn’t a meaningful measure of motion at all.