Question

Sam is renting one of two cars to go on a 300-mile trip. The first car can travel 75 miles on 5 gallons of gas. The second car can travel 240 miles on 20 gallons of gas. Each car costs the same to rent, and Sam wants to rent the car with the better gas mileage. Sam estimates that he will pay $49.42 for every 14 gallons of gas he has to buy. Which car should Sam rent, and how much money should Sam bring for gas? Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

Sam should rent Car 1, which has better gas mileage at 15 mpg. To cover a 300-mile trip, Sam will need to bring $70.60 to pay for the 20 gallons of gas required.

Step-by-step explanation:

Sam needs to decide which car to rent based on which one has better gas mileage. First, we calculate the gas mileage for both cars:

• Car 1: 75 miles for every 5 gallons of gas means it gets 75 / 5 = 15 miles per gallon (mpg).
• Car 2: 240 miles for every 20 gallons of gas means it also gets 240 / 20 = 12 miles per gallon (mpg).

Since Car 1 has better gas mileage, Sam should rent Car 1. Now, let's calculate the cost for gas for a 300-mile trip. If Car 1 gets 15 mpg, Sam will use 300 / 15 = 20 gallons of gas.

Given that Sam pays $49.42 for every 14 gallons, we can find out how much each gallon costs:

$49.42 / 14 gallons = $3.53 per gallon.

for 20 gallons the total cost would be:

20 gallons × $3.53 per gallon = $70.60.

So, Sam should bring at least $70.60 for gas.

Answer 2

The first car can travel 75 miles on 5 gallons of gas.

So per mile gas consumed by car
`=(5)/(75)=(1)/(15)` gallon

The second car can travel 240 miles on 20 gallons of gas.

So per mile gas consumed by car
`=(20)/(240)=(1)/(12)` gallon

It mean Sam should rent the First car.

Sam is renting one of two cars to go on a 300-mile trip.

So total number of gallons of gas required
`=(1)/(15)*300=20`

Total cost of 20 gallons of gas
`=(49.42)/(14)*20= 70.6` dollar