Question

Fuel efficiency is a measure of how many miles a car can go using a specified amount of fuel. It can change depending on the speed driven and how often the driver brakes and then accelerates, as well as other factors. Jack is taking a road trip. If he travels 180 miles at 40 miles per gallon and then another 105 miles at 35 miles per gallon, how many gallons of fuel has his car consumed?

a) 7.5 gallons
b) 8.0 gallons
c) 8.5 gallons
d) 9.0 gallons

Answer 1

Jack's car consumed 4.5 gallons of fuel for the first 180 miles and 3 gallons for the remaining 105 miles, resulting in a total consumption of 7.5 gallons of fuel.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate how many gallons of fuel Jack's car has consumed, we need to divide the distance traveled by the fuel efficiency for each segment of the trip. For the first part of the trip, Jack travels 180 miles at 40 miles per gallon, and for the second part, he travels 105 miles at 35 miles per gallon.

First segment fuel consumption:
180 miles ÷ 40 miles per gallon = 4.5 gallons

Second segment fuel consumption:
105 miles ÷ 35 miles per gallon = 3 gallons

Total fuel consumption is the sum of fuel consumed in both segments:

4.5 gallons + 3 gallons = 7.5 gallons

Therefore, Jack's car has consumed a total of 7.5 gallons of fuel during his road trip, making option a) the correct answer.