Final answer:
Calculating the average speed of 72 miles per hour from the initial 180-mile drive, it will take 2 hours to travel the last 144 miles at the same rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks how long it will take to travel the last 144 miles when a student drives 180 miles in 2.5 hours. To solve this, we first need to calculate the average speed during the 180-mile drive. The average speed can be found by dividing the total distance by the total time.
The average speed = 180 miles ÷ 2.5 hours = 72 miles per hour.
Next, we calculate the time to travel the remaining 144 miles at that average speed. Time is the distance divided by speed.
Time to travel 144 miles = 144 miles ÷ 72 miles per hour = 2 hours.
So, it will take 2 hours to travel the last 144 miles at the same rate of 72 miles per hour.