A gas station in the town of Loveland sells gas at $3.76 per gallon while
the stations here in Fort Collins sell gas at $3.99 per gallon.
If Loveland is 10.5 miles from Fort Collins and my car gets 32 mpg,
how many gallons of gas would I need to buy in order to "break even,"
i.e., to drive from Fort Collins to Loveland and back and
spend the same amount for gas as I would if I bought my gas in Fort Collins?
Solution to the Problem:
I would need to buy 10.739 gallons of gas to break even.
My car uses 21/32 gallons of gas to get to Loveland and back.
So, it costs 21/32 x $3.76 = $2.47 just to drive down and back.
Since there is a difference of 23 cents per gallon,
I would have to buy 2.47 / .23 = 10.739 gallons to break even.
Correctly solved by:
| 1. David & Judy Dixon | Bennettsville, South Carolina |
| 2. Tom Robb |
John Handley High School Winchester, Virginia |
| 3. Trey Briggs |
Mountain View High School Mountain View, Wyoming |
| 4. Richard K. Johnson | La Jolla, California |