Answer:
To solve this problem, we can use the concept of direct variation, which states that two quantities vary directly with each other if they can be expressed as y = kx, where y is the dependent variable, x is the independent variable, and k is a constant of variation.
In this case, the distance traveled is the dependent variable and the speed is the independent variable. We are given that the distance traveled is 17.5 miles when the time (or speed) is 15 minutes.
So, we can set up the proportion:
distance / time = constant
17.5 miles / 15 minutes = k
Solving for k, we get:
k = 17.5 / 15
k = 1.16667 (rounded to 5 decimal places)
Now that we have the constant of variation k, we can use it to find the distance traveled in 2 hours (which is equivalent to 2 hours * 60 minutes/hour = 120 minutes).
distance = k * time
distance = 1.16667 * 120
distance = 139.99964 miles (rounded to 5 decimal places)
So, the correct answer is C) 140 miles, as it is the closest rounded value to the calculated distance of 139.99964 miles.