To calculate the total change in the amount of water in the tank after 6 days:
-
Determine how many times the tank decreases in 6 days:
- There are 24 hours in a day, so in 6 days, there are \( 6 \times 24 = 144 \) hours.
-
Since the tank decreases 10 gallons every 3 hours, find out how many 3-hour intervals are in 144 hours:
- \( 144 \div 3 = 48 \) intervals.
-
Now, calculate the total decrease in gallons for these intervals:
- Each interval decreases the tank by 10 gallons, so: \[ 48 \text{ intervals} \times 10 \text{ gallons/interval} = 480 \text{ gallons} \]
Since the amount of water in the tank is decreasing, we express this change as negative. Therefore, the total change in the amount of water in the tank after 6 days is:
\[ -480 \text{ gallons} \]
So, the correct response is: −480 gallons.