At the start of a trip, the odometer of a car read 59,853. At the end of the trip, it read 60,193. If 17 gallons of gasoline are needed to refill the tank, how many miles per gallon is the car getting?
Answer (2)
Calculate the total miles driven: 60 , 193 − 59 , 853 = 340 miles.
Calculate the miles per gallon: 17 340 = 20 miles per gallon.
The car is getting 20 miles per gallon.
Explanation
Understanding the Problem We need to determine how many miles per gallon the car is getting. To do this, we need to find the total miles driven and divide that by the number of gallons of gasoline used.
Calculating Total Miles Driven First, we calculate the total miles driven by subtracting the initial odometer reading from the final odometer reading: T o t a l mi l es = F ina l re a d in g − I ni t ia l re a d in g T o t a l mi l es = 60 , 193 − 59 , 853 = 340 mi l es
Calculating Miles Per Gallon Next, we calculate the miles per gallon by dividing the total miles driven by the number of gallons of gasoline used: M i l es p er g a ll o n = G a ll o n s u se d T o t a l mi l es M i l es p er g a ll o n = 17 340 = 20 mi l es p er g a ll o n
Final Answer Therefore, the car is getting 20 miles per gallon.
Examples
Imagine you're planning a road trip and want to estimate how much you'll spend on gas. Knowing your car's miles per gallon (mpg) helps you predict fuel costs. For instance, if your trip is 500 miles and your car gets 25 mpg, you'll need 20 gallons of gas. Multiplying this by the average gas price gives you a rough estimate of your total fuel expense. This calculation is crucial for budgeting and making informed decisions about travel.
The car is getting 20 miles per gallon, calculated by dividing the total miles driven (340) by the gallons of gasoline used (17). Therefore, this indicates the car's fuel efficiency during the trip. This calculation is useful for estimating fuel costs in future trips.
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