Calculating the total cost of gasoline for a trip

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around estimating the total cost of gasoline for a planned trip, focusing on the conversion between different units of measurement (miles, gallons, liters) and the variability of gas prices across regions. The scope includes practical application and mathematical reasoning related to travel expenses.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Mathematical reasoning
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks assistance in calculating the gasoline cost for a 2500-mile trip, providing their car's fuel efficiency and local gas price in liters.
  • Another participant suggests converting the price from liters to gallons and calculates an estimated total cost based on that conversion.
  • A question is raised about whether the fuel efficiency should be interpreted as miles per gallon or kilometers per liter, indicating potential confusion over units.
  • Concerns are expressed about the appropriateness of using gallons for a trip primarily in the U.S. while the participant resides in Canada, where gasoline is sold by the liter.
  • A participant points out the need to consider the price differences between Canadian and U.S. gasoline, suggesting that the price may not be the same across borders.
  • One participant reflects on the variability of gas prices in the U.S. and acknowledges the difficulty in estimating costs without knowing specific locations for refueling.
  • Another participant shares a personal anecdote about past gas prices, adding a historical perspective to the discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the appropriate units for calculation and the reliability of gas price estimates, indicating that there is no consensus on how to best approach the problem.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the limitations of their estimates, including the variability of gas prices across different states and the need for conversions between measurement systems. There is also uncertainty regarding the exact fuel efficiency and its interpretation.

Embison
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I need help estimating the cost of gasoline for a trip I am planning on making in my car. I've been out of school for awhile so appologies for the simplicity of this question.

Can someone help show me how to calculate this question with the answer included?

The car get's 19 miles per gallon. Gasoline here is about 95 cents a litre. We don't use gallons. And the trip is 2500 miles.

How much will the total cost of gasoline be for that trip?

thank you!
 
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Well 1 US gallon = 3.785 litres, So multiply 3.785*.95 to get your cost per gallon which is right about $3.60/Gal. Then you can Divide 2500/19 to see how many gallons you will use, so about 132 Gallons for the trip. Then just multiply $3.60*132=$475.20. So your looking at about $500 in gas for the trip, if I am wrong forgive me its been a long day.
 
So do you really calculate miles per gallon? or is that 19 km per l?
 
It does seem strange that you would use gallons when your local stations are selling gasoline by the liter!
 
It's because my trip is 99% in the States and I live in Canada.
 
Ah! But that means that 99% of your gasoline will be bought in gallons. I would have thought you would reverse the figures. First, can you be sure that the price of gas in the U.S. is at all the same as in Canada? (Probably is, but I don't know). Also you will need to convert from Canadian dollars to U.S. dollars.

In any case, convert cost per litre to cost per gallon as Loudog said. Then: given that the trip is 2500 miles, divide that by your milage: 19 miles/gallon to determine that the whole trip will require 2500/19= 131.6 gallons, approximately. Here where I live, gas is about $2.50 U.S. per gallon so that would cost 131.5(2.5)= $329 U.S., approximately.

(I remember working at a gas station pumping gas for 25 cents a gallon. And I not that old!)
 
I remember those days too lol. Wish i was making my trip back then! :] Yea I know my question isn't perfect..But it doesn't matter because I only needed an estimation. It was actually because I was looking at an american website that told me the miles per gallon..and I averaged out the gas prices around here. I don't know exactly where I'll be stopping in the U.S. to get gas and the prices could be drastically different from state to state..so it was actually easier to just average out the gas price here. Plus the Canadian version of the car comapnies website has it listed in kilometers per liter. If I was able to figure out the average gas price across the states I am going to be traveling through (which i don't exactly know yet) i would have preferred to use gallons. I prefer to use american measurements a lot more. Except litres are kinda cooler than gallons lol.
 

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