A naval destroyer is tasked with an interception mission. It travels in a straight line at… — Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

A naval destroyer is tasked with an interception mission. It travels in a straight line at a constant speed of $35\text{ knots}$ (where $1\text{ knot} = 1\text{ nautical mile per hour}$ ) for exactly $3\text{ hours and } 12\text{ minutes}$ . What is the total distance traveled by the destroyer?

A
$109.2\text{ nautical miles}$
$112\text{ nautical miles}$ Answer
C
$1,120\text{ nautical miles}$
D
$6,720\text{ nautical miles}$

Answer

112\text{ nautical miles}

The correct distance is found by converting the travel time entirely into hours to match the rate. Since there are 60 minutes in an hour,

12\text{ minutes}

is equal to

0.2\text{ hours}

(

12 \div 60

). Adding this to the 3 hours gives a total travel time of

3.2\text{ hours}

. Multiplying the rate of

35\text{ knots}

3.2\text{ hours}

yields exactly

112\text{ nautical miles}

Step-by-Step Solution

Convert the given time into a single unit that matches the rate (hours).

12\text{ minutes} \div 60\text{ minutes/hour} = 0.2\text{ hours}

. Total time =

3.2\text{ hours}

Speed is given in knots (nautical miles per hour), so time must be expressed purely in hours to use the formula Distance = Rate x Time.

Multiply the rate of speed by the total time in hours.

35\text{ knots} \times 3.2\text{ hours} = 112\text{ nautical miles}

Applying the distance formula (d = r * t) yields the total distance traveled.

Key Concept

Calculating distance by converting mixed time units into a decimal fraction of an hour before multiplying by speed.

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