The fuel consumption in miles per gallon for a car varies inversely with its weight. Suppose a car that weighs 3,000 pounds gets 28.7 miles per gallon on the highway. Write the equation that relates y, the fuel consumption in miles per gallon, to the car's weight, w pounds. How many miles per gallon would a car get, if it weighs 4,100 pounds?

Question

Mathematics

Eloise

13 August, 19:25

The fuel consumption in miles per gallon for a car varies inversely with its weight. Suppose a car that weighs 3,000 pounds gets 28.7 miles per gallon on the highway. Write the equation that relates y, the fuel consumption in miles per gallon, to the car's weight, w pounds. How many miles per gallon would a car get, if it weighs 4,100 pounds?

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Answers (2)

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Kyleigh Morse · Answer 1

y = 86100 / w.

21 miles per gallon.

Step-by-step explanation:

If y is the consumption then:

y = k / w where k is some constant so we have:

28.7 = k / 3000

k = 3000 * 28.7 = 86100

So the required equation is y = 86100 / w.

For a car weighing 4100 pounds:

y = 86100 / 4100 = 21 miles per gallon.

Butchy · Answer 2

y = 86100 / w.