SOLUTION: Maria needed gallons of gas to fill her​ car's gas tank. The mileage odometer read miles. When the odometer read ​, Maria filled the tank with gallons. At the end of the​

Algebra ->  Average -> SOLUTION: Maria needed gallons of gas to fill her​ car's gas tank. The mileage odometer read miles. When the odometer read ​, Maria filled the tank with gallons. At the end of the​       Log On


   

Question 1176136: Maria needed gallons of gas to fill her​ car's gas tank. The mileage odometer read miles. When the odometer read ​, Maria filled the tank with gallons. At the end of the​ trip, she filled the tank with ​gallons, and the odometer read miles. How many miles per gallon did she get for the entire​ trip?
Answer by Solver92311(821) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!


Go back and read the question you posted, which you should have done BEFORE you submitted your post. Since you didn't provide any numbers (I suspect you cut and pasted from an on-line test or homework assignment that has an anti-cheating feature that doesn't allow copying of certain essential information), I'll answer your question with variables and you will have to sort it out for yourself.

Let represent the number of gallons to initially fill the tank. This number is irrelevant to solving this problem. The only importance of the initial sentence is that the tank was full at the start of the trip.

Let represent the mileage reading at the start of the trip.

Let represent the mileage reading when she stopped for gas midway through the trip. Another number irrelevant to the solution.

Let represent the number of gallons of gas obtained at the mid-trip stop.

Let represent the mileage reading at the end of the trip.

Let represent the number of gallons required to fill the tank at the end of the trip.

The total miles driven during the entire trip is the difference between the initial odometer reading and the final odometer reading, i.e. .

The total number of gallons of gas consumed is the sum of the amount obtained during the mid-trip stop and the amount required to fill the tank at the end of the trip, i.e. .

Miles per gallon for a trip is the number of miles driven divided by the number of gallons consumed. You can do your own arithmetic.

Extra credit: Would this calculation be invalidated if the gas tank had not been completely filled during the mid-trip refueling stop? Why or why not?


John

My calculator said it, I believe it, that settles it

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