Final answer:
The rate of fuel consumption for an aircraft that uses 260 lbs of fuel in 2 hours and 45 minutes is approximately 95 lbs/hour. This is calculated by converting the time to hours and dividing the total fuel used by the time. Option b is correct.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate the rate of fuel consumption per hour, we first need to convert the total time of 2 hours and 45 minutes to hours. There are 60 minutes in an hour, so 45 minutes is ⅔ of an hour or 0.75 hours. Therefore, the total time in hours is 2 hours + 0.75 hours = 2.75 hours. We then divide the total amount of fuel used, 260 lbs, by the total time in hours to find the rate.
Rate of fuel consumption = Total fuel used / Total time
Rate of fuel consumption = 260 lbs / 2.75 hours = 94.5454545... lbs/hour. When rounding to the nearest whole number, it's approximately 95 lbs/hour, which corresponds to option b.
It is important to understand the rate of fuel consumption in the context of energy efficiency and environmental impact. The probability of different fuel consumption rates can play a significant role in the overall performance of an aircraft and its carbon footprint.