Question

Dana is planning to drive 400 miles from

New York to Boston and back. Dana's
hybrid car can travel 50 miles on 1 gallon
of fuel. Biodiesel fuel costs $4.45 per
gallon.
Part A: How many gallons of fuel does
Dana need to purchase for the 400-mile
trip? Explain your reasoning.
Part B: Dana can take a high-speed train
to Boston instead of driving. A round-trip
train ticket costs $95. Is it cheaper for
Dana to take the train or to drive? How
much cheaper? Explain your reasoning.

Answer 1

A. 8 gallons

B. Drive by car is $59.4 cheaper than travel by train

Explanation:

According to the scenario, given data are as follows,

Total drive = 400 miles

Total drive per gallon = 50 miles

Fuel cost per gallon = $4.45

A. So, Total fuel required to drive 400 miles can be calculated as follows,

Total fuel required = Total drive ÷ Total drive per gallon

By putting value, we get,

Total fuel required = 400 ÷ 50

= 8 gallons

B. Total cost if drive by car = 8 gallons × $4.45 = $35.6

Cost if travel by train = $95

Hence it is clearly shows that drive by car is much cheaper than travel by train.

Cost saved by travel by car = $95 - $35.6 = $59.4

So, drive by car is $59.4 cheaper than travel by train.