Math Problem Statement

If Jack burns 1/4 tank of gas per hour, how many tanks of gas will he use on an 8 3/4 hour trip?

Solution

To find out how many tanks of gas Jack will use on his 8 3/4 hour trip, we can follow these steps:

  1. Convert 8 3/4 hours to an improper fraction: 834=8×4+34=32+34=354 hours8 \frac{3}{4} = \frac{8 \times 4 + 3}{4} = \frac{32 + 3}{4} = \frac{35}{4} \text{ hours}

  2. Determine the rate of gas usage per hour: Jack burns 14\frac{1}{4} tank of gas per hour.

  3. Calculate the total amount of gas used: Multiply the total hours by the gas usage rate per hour: Total gas used=354×14=3516 tanks\text{Total gas used} = \frac{35}{4} \times \frac{1}{4} = \frac{35}{16} \text{ tanks}

  4. Simplify the fraction if necessary: The fraction 3516\frac{35}{16} is already in its simplest form.

Thus, Jack will use 3516\frac{35}{16} tanks of gas on his trip.

If you prefer this as a decimal: 35162.1875 tanks\frac{35}{16} \approx 2.1875 \text{ tanks}

Jack will use approximately 2.1875 tanks of gas for the trip.

Would you like more details or have any questions?


Here are some related questions for further exploration:

  1. How much gas would Jack use on a 12-hour trip?
  2. If the gas tank holds 16 gallons, how many gallons will Jack use on the 8 3/4 hour trip?
  3. How long can Jack drive if he starts with a full tank of gas?
  4. What if Jack burns 1/3 tank of gas per hour instead? How many tanks would he use for the same trip?
  5. How much gas would Jack use if the trip were 10 hours long?

Tip: When solving word problems, carefully break down each part of the problem and convert mixed numbers into improper fractions for easier calculations.