Final answer:
The boat can travel approximately 73.2 miles on 24 gallons of gas, and the closest answer choice is (b) 73 miles.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find out how many miles the boat can travel on 24 gallons of gas, we first need to determine the rate of the boat's gas consumption using the information provided. The boat uses 21 gallons to go 64 miles, so we divide the number of miles by the number of gallons to find the miles per gallon (mpg).
Miles per gallon (mpg) =
64 miles ÷ 21 gallons =
Approximately 3.05 mpg
Now, to find out how far the boat can travel on 24 gallons of gas, we multiply the mpg rate by the new number of gallons:
Distance =
(3.05 mpg) × (24 gallons) =
Approximately 73.2 miles
Therefore, the closest answer to our calculation is (b) 73 miles.