To calculate the average per second, divide the total amount by the total number of seconds.
Here's a more detailed breakdown:
1. Identify What You Want to Average:
- What exactly are you trying to find the average of per second? This could be:
- Speed: Average distance traveled per second.
- Production Rate: Average number of items produced per second.
- Data Transfer Rate: Average number of bits or bytes transferred per second.
- Clicks: Average number of clicks on a link per second.
- And many other possibilities.
2. Determine the Total Amount:
- Measure or calculate the total quantity you're interested in. For example:
- Total Distance: Measure the total distance traveled (e.g., in meters or kilometers).
- Total Items Produced: Count the total number of items produced.
- Total Data Transferred: Measure the total amount of data transferred (e.g., in bits or bytes).
- Total Clicks: Count the total number of clicks.
3. Determine the Total Time in Seconds:
- Measure the total time period over which the quantity was measured. Crucially, this must be in seconds. If you have the time in minutes, hours, or days, you'll need to convert it to seconds. Here's how to convert:
- Minutes to Seconds: Multiply the number of minutes by 60.
- Hours to Seconds: Multiply the number of hours by 3600 (60 minutes/hour * 60 seconds/minute).
- Days to Seconds: Multiply the number of days by 86400 (24 hours/day 60 minutes/hour 60 seconds/minute).
4. Divide the Total Amount by the Total Time in Seconds:
- This is the core calculation:
`Average per second = Total Amount / Total Time in Seconds`Example: Calculating Average Speed in Meters Per Second (m/s)
Suppose a car travels 3600 meters in 5 minutes. What is the average speed in meters per second?
- Total Distance: 3600 meters
- Total Time: 5 minutes * 60 seconds/minute = 300 seconds
- Average Speed: 3600 meters / 300 seconds = 12 meters/second
Therefore, the car's average speed is 12 meters per second.
Example: Calculating Average Production Rate
A factory produces 12,000 widgets in 8 hours. What is the average production rate per second?
- Total Widgets Produced: 12,000
- Total Time: 8 hours 60 minutes/hour 60 seconds/minute = 28,800 seconds
- Average Production Rate: 12,000 widgets / 28,800 seconds = 0.4167 widgets per second (approximately)
Therefore, the factory's average production rate is approximately 0.4167 widgets per second.
Important Considerations:
- Units: Be mindful of the units. The "average per second" will have units that reflect the units of the "Total Amount" divided by seconds.
- Average vs. Instantaneous: This calculation provides the average rate over the entire time period. The instantaneous rate at any specific point in time may be different.
- Accuracy: The accuracy of the average depends on the accuracy of the total amount and the total time measurements.
