Final answer:
To find out how many gallons of oil will produce the same amount of energy as 650 pounds of coal, calculate the total volume of coal (650 pounds * 0.144 gallons/pound = 93.6 gallons), and divide it by 1.61, resulting in 58.14 gallons of oil.
Step-by-step explanation:
The problem states that it takes 1.61 times more coal by volume to produce the same energy as oil. The student is given that 1 pound of coal has a volume of 0.144 gallons. We are asked to determine how many gallons of oil would be equivalent, in energy terms, to 650 pounds of coal.
First, calculate the total volume of coal:
650 pounds of coal * 0.144 gallons/pound = 93.6 gallons of coal
Since it takes 1.61 times more coal to produce the same energy as oil, we can calculate the equivalent oil volume by dividing the coal volume by 1.61:
93.6 gallons of coal / 1.61 = 58.14 gallons of oil (rounded to two decimal places)
The correct answer is that 58.14 gallons of oil will give the same amount of energy as 650 pounds of coal, which is not listed in the options provided (A, B, C, D), so there may be an error in the question or the answer choices.