How fast is that plane really?

Maths Age group: KS3: speed, distance and time

Work with knots, miles per hour and real planes on the live board.

Before you start

Read or play with these Learn topics first.

Choose an airport

Latest weather report (explained in "How do you read an airport weather report?")

Name: ______________________ Date: ____________

Use the live board for this worksheet.

A plane covers 120 nautical miles in 15 minutes. What is its speed in knots? (1 knot = 1 nautical mile per hour)
Convert your answer to mph (1 knot is about 1.15 mph).
Choose a plane on the live board. Time it between two points and work out its speed.
Is it faster or slower than a car on the motorway? By how much?

Ten questions on this lesson. Pupils open the link on any device. Nothing is stored about them.

Teacher notes and answers

Suggested answers. Many will vary with the live data, so check units and working. The curriculum links are a guide only.

15 minutes is 0.25 hours, so 120 ÷ 0.25 = 480 knots.
480 × 1.15 = 552 mph (about).
Answers will vary. Check that units match (distance and time) and that the working shows speed = distance ÷ time.
A car at 70 mph versus a jet at cruise (about 550 mph) is roughly eight times as fast. On approach (about 150 knots, or 170 mph) it is roughly 2.5 times as fast.