A car drives at 60 km/h. How many hours does it take to drive 180 km?

Step by step, with the reason for every step · Word problems part 2 · Algebra 1

Step by step

The question

Question: A car drives at 60 km/h.

How many hours does it take to drive 180 km?

1 Find what we know

What do we know?

The car goes 60 km in each hour.

The trip is 180 km.

What do we want?

How many hours.

2 Name the unknown

We don't know how many hours.

So we call it x.

x = number of hours

How far we go: speed times time.

60 km/h means 60 km in each hour.

distance = speed × time

3 Write the equation

In words: speed times time makes the distance.

60x = 180

So the equation is 60x = 180.

Now we solve it.

60x = 180

4 Remove the 60

60x means 60 times x.

We want just x.

To remove times 60, we divide by 60.

We do it on both sides, so they stay equal.

60x60 = 18060

60 divided by 60 is 1.

So just x is left.

180 divided by 60 is 3.

18060 = 3

So x = 3!

x = 3

5 Answer the question

So it takes 3 hours.

6 Check

Let's check in the story.

3 hours at 60 km/h: 3 times 60 is 180 km, like the story says.

So the answer is right!

3 × 60 = 180 km

Let's look back.

First: find what we know.

Then: name the unknown.

Then: write the equation.

Then: solve it.

Then: answer the question.

Last: check.

Answer

x = 3

Your turn

Try this one yourself, then check:

Show the answer

6 hours