Final answer:
To determine the number of boulders Sophia can buy, subtract the weight of her trailer from the maximum towing capacity of her truck, and then divide that by the weight of each boulder. Sophia can buy a maximum of 19 boulders.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine how many boulders Sophia can buy, we need to subtract the weight of her trailer from the maximum towing capacity of her truck, and then divide that by the weight of each boulder.
The weight of Sophia's trailer is 1,000 pounds.
The maximum towing capacity of her truck is 14,500 pounds.
Each boulder weighs 750 pounds.
So, the number of boulders Sophia can buy is (14,500 - 1,000) / 750 = 19.33.
Since we can't buy fractions of a boulder, Sophia can buy a maximum of 19 boulders.