When multiplying conversion factors, make sure the only remaining units are the desired units.
About 10.2mi/h
Practice makes perfect
We want to express 5 yards per second in miles per hour.
5 yd/s= mi/h
This means that we need to change yards per second into miles per hour. Let's start by organizing the relationships between the units in a table.
Starting Unit
Converted Unit
Unit Ratio
1 yard
3feet
3ft/1yd
5280feet
1 mile
5280ft/1mi
60 seconds
1minute
60s/1min
60minutes
1 hour
60min/1h
To perform this conversion, we need to multiply the rate in yards per second by each unit ratio or its reciprocal. Remember, we want to arrange these ratios such that every unit we do not want gets canceled out, and only the units that we want will remain.
We found that Lorenzo can ride his bike at a rate of about 10.2 miles per hour.
Extra
Common Conversion Factors
Use the following tool to explore some of the most commonly used conversion factors. Conversions can be made both within or between the metric system and the imperial system, also known as the U.S. Customary System.
Around the world, people use conversion factors on a regular basis. You can read more about some practical applications of conversion factors in our original content.
