What is Speed, Distance and Time Formula?

Last Updated : 23 Jul, 2025

Distance travelled describes the path covered by an object during a particular span of time. It is the total measure of the route taken by the object to move from one point to another, regardless of direction.

  • The distance traveled can be calculated using the product of the object's velocity (or speed) and the time taken during the motion.
  • The SI unit of distance is meters (m).

Formulas for speed, distance, and time are as follows:

Distance Formula

d = v Ɨ t

where,

  • d = distance traveled by the object,
  • v = velocity of the object,
  • t = time taken by the object to travel the distance

Speed Formula

v = d/t
where,

  • v = speed of the object
  • d = distance traveled
  • t = time taken

Time Formula

t = d/v
where,

  • t = time taken
  • d = distance traveled
  • v = velocity or speed of the object
 Note: In many practical situations, when direction is not considered, speed is used instead of velocity.

DST Triangle

One Way to easily remember Speed, Distance, and Time Formula is DST Triangle-

Speed-Time-Distance-Formula-1

Also Check,

Solved Examples of Speed, Distance, and Time

Question 1: An object travels with the velocity of 5 m/s in 5 s, find the distance travelled by the object.

Solution:

Given: v = 5 m/s, t = 5 s

d = v*t
= 5*5
= 25 m

Thus, the distance travelled by the object in 5 s with a velocity of 5 m/s is 25 m.

Question 1: Determine the distance traveled by car if the speed is 500 cm/s and the time taken is 10 s.

Solution:

Given: v = 500 cm/s, t = 10 s

d = v*t
= 500*10
= 5000 cm = 50 m

Thus, the distance traveled by the object is 50 m.

Question 3: Calculate the distance of a car traveling at a constant velocity of 30 m/s in 60 seconds.

Solution:

First calculate the distance traveled using the formula above, where v = 30m/s and t = 60s.

d = v*t
= 30m/s*60s
= 1800m.

Question 4: Calculate the speed of an object that travels 100 meters uniformly in 20 seconds.

Solution:

To calculate the velocity, we will use the above equation clearing v, where d = 100m and t = 20s.

d = v*t, [ v = d/t ]
= 100m/20s
= 5m/s.

Question 5: A loaded truck travels at the rate of 50 km per hour. Calculate the total time that the truck will take to travel 200 km.

Solution:

Given parameters are:

  • Rate of the journey, r = 50 km/hr.
  • Displacement, d = 200 km

Displacement d = r Ɨ t
Thus, the time taken will be given as: t = d/r
= 200/50
= 4 hrs

Therefore, time taken is 4 hours.

Question 6: Determine the winner if an athlete runs 250 m in 10 s time, while the other runs at 210 m in 7 s time. 

Solution:

First athlete displacement = 250 m, and time taken = 10 s

Thus, his rate of speed will be as per formula,

r1= 250/10
r1 = 25 m/s.

Displacement by the second athlete = 210 m and time taken = 7 s

Thus, his rate of speed will be as per formula,

r2 = 210/7
r2 = 30 m/s.

Therefore, the 2nd athlete wins the race.

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