A 1,280 ounce water cooler in the school office provides water for all of the principals. Each hour, 30 ounces of water is drank from the cooler. Write an equation to show how long until the water in the cooler reaches 0 ounces.

Answer 1

To determine how long it will take for the water cooler to reach 0 ounces, we can set up the following equation.

Let \( t \) represent the number of hours until the cooler is empty. The total amount of water in the cooler is 1,280 ounces, and water is being consumed at a rate of 30 ounces per hour.

The equation can be written as:

\[ 1280 - 30t = 0 \]

Now, we can solve for \( t \):

1. Add \( 30t \) to both sides: \[ 1280 = 30t \]

2. Divide both sides by 30: \[ t = \frac{1280}{30} \]

3. Simplifying the right side: \[ t \approx 42.67 \text{ hours} \]

Therefore, it will take approximately 42.67 hours for the water in the cooler to reach 0 ounces.