To find the unit rate of miles per gallon (mpg), you can divide the total miles driven by the total gallons of gasoline the car holds.
In this case:
- Total miles = 288 miles
- Total gallons = 16 gallons
Now, divide the total miles by the total gallons:
\[ \text{Unit rate (miles per gallon)} = \frac{\text{Total miles}}{\text{Total gallons}} = \frac{288 \text{ miles}}{16 \text{ gallons}} = 18 \text{ miles per gallon} \]
So, the unit rate is 18 miles per gallon.