document.write( "Question 125668: A car is driven 50,000 miles. Its 5 tires (one is the spare)are rotated regularly and frequently. How many miles will any one tire have travelled on the road by the end of the trip? \n" ); document.write( "

Algebra.Com's Answer #92087 by Edwin McCravy(20060) $\"\"$ $\"About$

You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A car is driven 50,000 miles. Its 5 tires (one is the spare)are rotated
\n" ); document.write( "regularly and frequently. How many miles will any one tire have travelled on
\n" ); document.write( "the road by the end of the trip?
\n" ); document.write( "


\r\n" );
document.write( "There are 50,000 x 4 or 200,000 tire miles in a 50,000 mile trip.\r\n" );
document.write( "If the 200,000 tire miles are shared equally by the 6 tires for \r\n" );
document.write( "the entire 50,000 miles, then we divide 200,000 by 5 and each tire's \r\n" );
document.write( "share of the total 200,000 tire miles, and each tire will be driven \r\n" );
document.write( "40,000 miles.  \r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "This is probably the answer your teacher is expecting.\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "However, technically there isn't enough information given to solve the\r\n" );
document.write( "problem.  You'd have to be given how many miles the car is driven before\r\n" );
document.write( "the tires are rotated.  \r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "The above figure of 40,000 miles each would be exactly correct only if\r\n" );
document.write( "the tires are rotated every n miles where n divides evenly into 10000.\r\n" );
document.write( "In all other cases the answer will be different.\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "Look at these cases:\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "If they are rotated only once every 50,000 miles (or less often), the spare\r\n" );
document.write( "will never get used, and the 4 on the ground will each go 50,000 miles.\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "If they are rotated every 40,000 miles then 3 of the tires will be used 50000\r\n" );
document.write( "miles, one will be used 40,000 and one will be used only 10,000\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "If they are rotated every 30,000 miles then 3 of the tires will be used 50000\r\n" );
document.write( "miles, and the other one will be used 30,000 miles, and one 20,000.\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "If they are rotated every 20,000 miles then 2 of the tires will be used 50000\r\n" );
document.write( "miles, one will be used 40,000 miles and the other two will be used only 30,000\r\n" );
document.write( "miles.\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "You should point this out to your teacher.\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "Suppose, for example, they are rotated every 12,000 miles, Then for\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "    0 - 12000 miles, tires 1,2,3,4 each travel 12000 mi and tire 5 travels 0\r\n" );
document.write( "12000 - 24000 miles, tires 2,3,4,5 each travel 12000 mi and tire 1 travels 0\r\n" );
document.write( "24000 - 36000 miles, tires 1,3,4,5 each travel 12000 mi and tire 2 travels 0\r\n" );
document.write( "36000 - 48000 miles, tires 1,2,4,5 each travel 12000 mi and tire 3 travels 0\r\n" );
document.write( "48000 - 50000 miles, tires 1,2,3,5 each travel  2000 mi and tire 4 travels 0\r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "So tires 1, 2, 3, and 5 have each traveled 38000 miles, tire 4 has traveled\r\n" );
document.write( "48000 miles.  \r\n" );
document.write( "\r\n" );
document.write( "Edwin

\r
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "
\n" ); document.write( "\n" ); document.write( " \n" ); document.write( "

\n" );