To find out how many gallons of gasoline would be needed to travel 480 miles, we can first calculate the fuel efficiency of the car in gallons per mile based on the data provided.
From the table, we can see the following:
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For 120 miles, 6 gallons are used. \[ \text{Gallons per mile} = \frac{6 \text{ gallons}}{120 \text{ miles}} = 0.05 , \text{gallons/mile} \]
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For 300 miles, 15 gallons are used. \[ \text{Gallons per mile} = \frac{15 \text{ gallons}}{300 \text{ miles}} = 0.05 , \text{gallons/mile} \]
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For 360 miles, 18 gallons are used. \[ \text{Gallons per mile} = \frac{18 \text{ gallons}}{360 \text{ miles}} = 0.05 , \text{gallons/mile} \]
The calculations show that the car consistently uses 0.05 gallons of gasoline per mile.
Now we can use this rate to find out how many gallons are required for 480 miles: \[ \text{Gallons needed} = 480 \text{ miles} \times 0.05 , \text{gallons/mile} = 24 \text{ gallons} \]
Thus, the amount of gasoline needed to travel 480 miles is 24 gallons.