Arithmetic Grade Four

Lesson One hundred forty: Miles Per Gallon

Different cars are able to travel different distances on the same amount of gas. Some cars can travel 250 miles on five gallons of gas and others can only travel 75 miles on that same amount of gas. The average distance that a car can travel on a gallon of gas is how fuel efficiency is measured. Fuel efficiency is measured in miles per gallon, or MPG for short.

So, what is the fuel efficiency of a car which can travel 250 miles on five gallons of gas or of a car which travels only 75 miles on five gallons of gas? To figure this out we have to do some division. 


   CAR ONE: 250 miles on 5 gallons of gas.

      MPG = 250/5

      Fuel efficiency: 50 mpg

   CAR TWO: 75 miles on 5 gallons of gas.

      MPG = 75/5

      Fuel efficiency: 15 mpg

To find the fuel efficiency of a car divide the distance traveled by the amount of gas it took to travel that distance.

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