2440.32 – Driving to Atlanta


Back in the 1980’s, Manzy had a car with a 24-gallon gas tank. He started driving one morning with a full tank, heading for Atlanta. The odometer read 3208 miles. He drove most of the day, having stopped at lunch to buy 5 gallons of gas. The gas gauge read exactly 14\dfrac{1}{4} of a tank at the point where the odometer read exactly 3668. He still was 130 miles from Atlanta. Back then, gas cost only a dollar and nine cents per gallon. He had two dollars left and no credit cards.

Did he make it? Give all details!

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Solution

Big organizational job! Manzy had gone 460 miles when he had 6 gallons left in his tank (14\dfrac{1}{4} of the 24 gallon capacity). Thus he had used 18 gallons of the original full tank, plus the 5 gallons he bought. So he had gone 460 miles on 23 gallons; he was getting 20 miles per gallon.

Manzy still has 130 more miles to go and has 6 gallons of gas, which will take him 120 miles. He also has two dollars. So he can buy enough gas to get to Atlanta.