Calculating the Rate of Continental Drift
This activity will help you meet this educational goal:
You will apply rates and unit conversions to solve a complex measurement problem involving derived or compound units.
Directions
Read the instructions for this self-checked activity. Type in your response to each question, and check your answers. At the end
of the activity, write a brief evaluation of your work.
Activity
In this activity, you'll calculate the speed at which the continents of Earth are moving. Speed is the rate of change of
position. If you know the distance covered
and the time taken to cover the distance, you can find speed using this
formula:
If you're given distance and speed, you can rearrange the formula algebraically to find distance:
distance speed x time
=
If you need further help during the activity, check out the rates section in the math review e. You might also want to
review prefixes in the metric
system before you begin.
Part A
As the seafloor of the Atlantic Ocean spreads, the African Plate moves eastward. Over the last 100 million years, the plate
has moved approximately 2,100 kilometers. How
many centimeters per year does it move eastward?