Curriculum Connections

Social Studies
Math

Background
The supersonic (faster than sound) Concorde jet can cross the Atlantic in three hours. The space shuttle can orbit Earth in 90 minutes. But what makes these times truly impressive is a comparison with transportation times of the past. Ships of the Age of Exploration (15^th to 17^th centuries) took about a month to cross the Atlantic and several years to circumnavigate the globe. Clipper ships and steamships of the 18^th and 19^th centuries cut the time in half, to roughly two weeks.
     Similar dramatic reductions in travel time took place on land. Ancient people relied almost entirely on beast, boat, or their own two feet. Travel at sea was faster than travel over land. Horse-drawn vehicles facilitated travel to the next town or castle but were still painfully slow on long journeys. As machines replaced horses, steam-driven and gas driven vehicles made coast-to-coast travel easier and faster.
     What changes did these advances bring? Perhaps the biggest effect was an explosion of world trade. Goods from every corner of the world could be shipped or, later, flown to every other corner. Cultural ideas, technology, and lifestyles diffused around the world or were assimilated into other cultures. In short, the world became a much smaller place.

Lesson Ideas
The reproducible activity compares how long it would take to go 10 miles at various points in history and in various vehicles. Students must plot the times horizontally on the bar graph and then answer questions.
     Advanced math students can calculate the times using the speed-time distance formula: speed = distance divided by time. For this exercise, write the formula as follows: distance divided by speed = time. For example: If you walk 2 miles per hour, how long will it take you to go 10 miles? 10 miles ÷ 2 mph = 5 hours. Multiply by 60 to convert hours into minutes: 5 hours x 60 minutes per hour = 300 minutes.

Answers
Travel Times Human-pulled wagon, 300 min.; Horse-pulled coach, 30 min.; Railroad, 24 min.; Bicycle, 50 min.; Stanley Steamer car, 24 min.; Motorcar, about 14 min.; Minivan, 10 min.; High-speed train, 3 min. 1. horse-pulled coach 2. bicycle 3. 8 times faster 4. 100 times faster

Extension
Have students calculate how long it would've taken them to get to school at key dates in history, using the speeds on the graph. They can estimate the mileage from home to school by using a local map or by asking a bus driver or other adult to help them read an odometer. For those less than one mile from school, use feet per minute instead of miles per hour (multiply by 5280 and then divide by 60).