In this article, we will help you understand the problem of calculating gas consumption, using a real-world example. The scenario involves Simon renting a car, driving for five days, and then returning the car with a specific gas consumption. We will explain how to determine the rate of gas consumption, as per the given problem.
Understanding the Problem
Simon rented a car, and the odometer reading before and after the rental period are provided, along with the amount of gas used to fill up the tank. The problem asks us to calculate the rate of gas consumption. But what exactly does this mean? Should we find the consumption in terms of liters per kilometer (km), or should we calculate how many kilometers the car can travel per liter?
What is the Rate of Gas Consumption?
In this case, the rate of gas consumption refers to how much fuel the car uses to travel a certain distance. It can be measured in two ways:
- **Liters per kilometer (L/km):** This indicates how many liters of fuel the car consumes to travel 1 kilometer.
- **Kilometers per liter (km/L):** This shows how many kilometers the car can travel on 1 liter of fuel.
In most cases, fuel consumption is reported as liters per kilometer (L/km), but in some situations, the car’s efficiency might be reported as kilometers per liter (km/L). The latter is just the reciprocal of the former.
Solving the Problem
Given that the car traveled a distance of (32,421 km – 31,720 km) = 701 kilometers, and used 63 liters of fuel to fill the tank, we can calculate the fuel consumption.
To find the fuel consumption in liters per kilometer (L/km), we divide the amount of fuel used by the distance traveled:
Fuel consumption (L/km) = 63 liters / 701 km = 0.0899 L/km.
Conclusion: Liters per Kilometer or Kilometers per Liter?
In this particular problem, the correct answer is to calculate the fuel consumption in terms of liters per kilometer (L/km). This will give you a sense of how much fuel the car is using to travel each kilometer. If you prefer, you can also calculate kilometers per liter (km/L), which would be the reciprocal of the L/km value.
So, the car consumes approximately 0.0899 liters of fuel for each kilometer traveled. Alternatively, this is equivalent to about 11.1 kilometers per liter of fuel. Understanding this rate will help you evaluate fuel efficiency more effectively.
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