Math+Connections

Paul Revere's Ride How long did it take Paul Revere to get from Boston to Lexington?

Paul Revere is most rememberd for his role as a messenger. He rode horseback from Boston to Lexington to warn John Hancok and Sam Adams of the movements of the British Army. The British was moving from Boston to Lexington to arrest Hancock and Adams. This ride is know famously as the "Midnight Ride" and it happened on April 18th to the 19th in 1775.

First, I found the distance from Boston to Lexington using google maps. I chose an alternate route from the first route, because the main route was along highways that did not exist during this time period. Also, the alternate route was more direct and may be made up of roads build along old trails.

Next, I fould the speed of a galloping horse to be between 25 and 30 miles per hour. Wikipedia listed it as between 25 and 30 miles per hour and ultimatehorsesite.com listed it at 40 mph for thoroughbreds and 50 mph for quarter horses. I decided to go with 27.5 mph because Paul's ride would take him through hills and over streams so he probably couldn't go at top speed for the entire time. In the end, I decided to use 27.5 mph for the speed of Paul Revere's hourse.

Lastly, I know that Speed = distance/time so I substituted 27.5 in for the speed, and 14.5 for the distance. Next, I cross multiplied to find that the time it took Paul Revere to ride from Boston to Lexington was .53 hours. To convert this to minutes I mutliplied by 60. I found that it took him **31.6 minutes**.

How much would it cost a family of 4 to spend an extended weekend (2 nights - 3 days) in Boston?

First, I found a hotel for the family to stay at. I found The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers. This hotel is right in the middle of the city and within walking distance of many attractions. The per night cost is $150. This means the total hotel cost is $300.

Hotel - $300

We decided that one day we would do the Boston Walking Tour. This tour costs $13 for adults and $10 for children under 12. So our total cost is $46.

Tour - $46

For meals we will eat breakfast at the hotel. Lunches we will spend about $40 for the family for a light meal. For dinner, we plan to spend about $100 per meal. Therefore, our total meal cost is $320 for 3 lunches and 2 dinners.

Meals - $320


 * Our toal trip cost without travel is $646.**
 * The Boston Park Plaza Hotel & Towers**