Question

To prevent traffic jams, a city funds a courtesy patrol to aid stranded drivers on local roads. The patrol can repair a flat tire, provide the motorist with 2 gallons of gas, or call a tow truck for more serious problems. It takes 15 minutes to help a driver who is out of gas and 45 minutes to help a driver with a flat tire. The courtesy patrol driver carries 28 gallons of gas. What is the maximum number of stops for flat tires or empty gas tanks that the courtesy patrol can make in an 8-hour shift?

Answer 1

To find the maximum number of stops for flat tires or empty gas tanks, we need to calculate the time taken for each type of assistance and determine how many instances of each can fit within an 8-hour shift.

For flat tires, it takes 45 minutes per stop. For empty gas tanks, it takes 15 minutes per stop.

To calculate the maximum number of stops, we'll need to consider the total available time in minutes for an 8-hour shift (480 minutes) and divide it by the time taken per stop for each type of assistance.

Let's start with the flat tires: 480 minutes ÷ 45 minutes per stop = 10.6667 stops. Since we can't have a fraction of a stop, the maximum number of flat tire stops would be 10.

Now let's calculate the stops for empty gas tanks: 480 minutes ÷ 15 minutes per stop = 32 stops.

Therefore, the courtesy patrol can make a maximum of 10 stops for flat tires or empty gas tanks in an 8-hour shift.