A rocket test model burns fuel at a constant rate. It uses 225 gallons of fuel every 310 of a minute. How many gallons of fuel will it burn in 112 ?
Answer: Under the fractional interpretation (103 min and 121 min), the fuel burned is 1125 gallons. Under the literal integer interpretation (310 min and 112 min), the fuel burned is 312520 gallons≈81.29 gallons.
Step-by-step solution
Step 1: Analyze the given rate problem and identify potential interpretations
The problem presents numbers with possible typographical variations common in scanned fraction texts (where 103 might be printed as 310, and 121 or 112 could represent the target time). We examine both standard interpretations: the fractional rate interpretation where fuel is burned at 225 gallons per 103 minute over 121 minutes, and the literal integer reading of 225 gallons every 310 minutes over 112 minutes.
Step 2: Calculate burn rate and total fuel for the standard fraction interpretation
Interpreting '310 of a minute' as 103 minute and '112' as 121=23 minutes, the burning rate is 750 gallons per minute. Multiplying this constant rate by 1.5 minutes gives 1125 gallons.
Step 3: Calculate burn rate and total fuel for the literal integer interpretation
If the numbers are taken literally as 225 gallons every 310 minutes over a duration of 112 minutes, the constant rate is 6245 gallons per minute. Multiplying by 112 minutes yields 312520 gallons, which is approximately 81.29 gallons.