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Math & geography · Grades 6–8 · about 40 minutes

Hockey Road Trip: distance, rate and the best route

Students compare routes between four NHL arenas using real straight-line distances, then use unit rates to estimate time and fuel.

Students will: Add distances along a route; Compare routes; Use unit rates (miles per hour, miles per gallon).

Common Core: 6.RP.A.3

Free to print and share with your class. Includes an answer key.

Hockey Road Trip: distance, rate and the best route

Name: ______________________

You're planning a trip to see games in Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal and Boston. The table shows straight-line (“as the crow flies”) distances between the arenas. Real roads are a little longer.

Straight-line distances between arenas (miles)
OttawaMontréalBoston
Toronto205313429
Ottawa—115316
Montréal——250

Worked out from each arena's latitude and longitude, rounded to the nearest mile.

  1. Route A: Toronto → Ottawa → Montréal → Boston. How many miles in total?
  2. Route B: Toronto → Montréal → Ottawa → Boston. How many miles in total?
  3. Which route is shorter, and by how many miles?
  4. At an average of 60 miles per hour, how many hours would the shorter route take? Round to one decimal place.
  5. A car gets 30 miles per gallon. How many gallons does the shorter route use? Round to one decimal place.
  6. Why will the real driving distance be longer than these numbers?

Extension: Use an online map to find the real driving distance for one leg. By what percent is it longer than the straight-line distance?

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🔑 Answer key (for teachers)
  1. Route A: Toronto → Ottawa → Montréal → Boston. How many miles in total?
    205 + 115 + 250 = 570 miles
  2. Route B: Toronto → Montréal → Ottawa → Boston. How many miles in total?
    313 + 115 + 316 = 744 miles
  3. Which route is shorter, and by how many miles?
    Route A, by 174 miles
  4. At an average of 60 miles per hour, how many hours would the shorter route take? Round to one decimal place.
    570 ÷ 60 ≈ 9.5 hours
  5. A car gets 30 miles per gallon. How many gallons does the shorter route use? Round to one decimal place.
    570 ÷ 30 ≈ 19.0 gallons
  6. Why will the real driving distance be longer than these numbers?
    Roads curve and go around lakes, rivers and cities; straight-line distance is the shortest possible path.

Teacher notes

  • Distances are great-circle (straight-line) miles computed from each arena's coordinates.
  • Toronto, Ottawa and Montréal are in Canada, where road signs use kilometres: 1 mile ≈ 1.61 km.

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