Final answer:
The unit rate at which water is drained is found by multiplying the rate for 1/4 minute by 4. The result is that the unit rate at which water is being drained is 12 gallons per minute.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the unit rate at which water is drained when it is flowing at a rate of 3 gallons per 1/4 minute. To find the unit rate, we need to determine how much water is drained per one whole unit of time, which is typically one minute.
To calculate this, we recognize that there are 4 quarters in a whole (1 minute), so if we multiply the rate for 1/4 minute by 4, we'll find the rate for a whole minute. So:
- Rate for 1/4 minute = 3 gallons
- Rate for a whole minute = 3 gallons × 4 = 12 gallons per minute
Therefore, the unit rate at which water is drained is 12 gallons per minute.