John is driving around town. When he reaches the gas station, he notes that he has traveled 18 miles. He reaches home 2 hours later and notes that he has traveled 32 miles.

Question

If d represents the distance and t represents the time, in hours, John has traveled since the gas station, which of the following equations can be used to model this situation

Answer 1

Let's assume that John traveled x miles after reaching the gas station.

The equation that can be used to model this situation is:
32 = 18 + x

Explanation:
John traveled 18 miles from the gas station, and then he traveled x miles more. Thus, the total distance he traveled from the gas station is 18 + x miles.

Since he reaches home 2 hours later, the time he traveled after the gas station is 2 hours. Therefore, the equation becomes:
32 = 18 + 2t

Explanation:
t represents the time in hours that John has traveled since the gas station. Since he reaches home 2 hours later, the time he traveled after the gas station is 2 hours.

Thus, the correct equation is:
32 = 18 + 2t