#22. You work for a small trucking business. You are leaving with an empty load to pick up a full load of 4-wheelers located 350 miles away. You will be using the business credit card for purchasing gasoline. Your truck, fully loaded, gets 14.3 miles per gallon; if the truck is empty, the gas mileage improves by 1/10. If the cost of gasoline is $2.69 per gallon, what will be the approximate cost of gasoline for the round trip rounded to the nearest whole dollar to pick up the new 4-wheelers, which are valued at $45,000.

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A
$60

B
$65

C
$100

D
$126

E
$216

Answer 1

To calculate the cost of gasoline for the round trip, we first need to break down the distance and the fuel economy of the truck for both legs of the trip.

1. Calculate the Round Trip Distance:

   • One way distance to pick up the load: 350 miles
   • Round trip distance: \( 350 \times 2 = 700 \) miles

2. Determine Gas Mileage:

   • When empty, the truck's mileage improves by \( \frac{1}{10} \), making it:
   • \( 14.3 \text{ mpg} + \frac{14.3}{10} = 14.3 + 1.43 = 15.73 \text{ mpg} \)
   • When loaded, the mileage is 14.3 mpg.

3. Calculate Total Gallons Used on the Round Trip:

   • For the empty leg (to the pick up):
   • Gallons used: \( \frac{350}{15.73} \approx 22.24 \) gallons
   • For the loaded leg (return trip):
   • Gallons used: \( \frac{350}{14.3} \approx 24.48 \) gallons

4. Total Gallons for Round Trip:

   • Total gallons: \( 22.24 + 24.48 \approx 46.72 \) gallons

5. Calculate Total Cost of Gasoline:

   • Cost of gasoline is $2.69 per gallon.
   • Total cost: \( 46.72 \times 2.69 \approx 125.63 \)

6. Round to the Nearest Whole Dollar:

   • Rounded cost: \( \approx 126 \)

So, the approximate cost of gasoline for the round trip is $126.

The correct answer is D $126.