How to Convert Miles to Hours

Your ETA depends on your mph.

In math class you may encounter a word problem in which you are required to figure out how many hours a trip took based on the miles covered. This task is possible as long as you have a crucial bit of data, namely the rate at which the person or vehicle was traveling. This type of calculation also is useful if you are planning a trip. By converting miles into hours, you can estimate how long your trip will take.

Things You'll Need

• Calculator
• Rate data
• Pencil or pen
• Paper

Instructions

1. Calculate the number of miles involved in a specific trip. You can do this by reading the map scale or by using an online mapping program.

2. Estimate the average speed that you will be traveling.

3. Divide the distance by the rate in order to convert miles to hours. For instance, if you know that you will be traveling 50 miles, and you estimate the average speed to be 45 miles per hour, divide 50 by 45 in order to get 1.1. This means that the trip should take approximately 1.1 hours, or one hour and six minutes.

Tips & Warnings

• Although you can convert from miles to hours as long as you have the rate of travel, this formula does not take into account other variables such as traffic delays or inclement weather.

References

• The Math Forum@ Drexel: Distance, Rate and Time