You are on page 1of 2

Question:

Jane is planning a road trip and wants to estimate the average speed of her car
during the trip. She knows that her car's fuel efficiency is given by the rational
function:

f(x) = 350 / (x + 10)

where x represents the number of hours driven and f(x) represents the fuel
efficiency in miles per gallon (mpg).

If Jane drives for 4 hours, what is the estimated average speed of her car during
the trip?

To solve this problem, we'll first find the total distance traveled by multiplying
the average speed by the time driven. The average speed can be calculated by taking
the reciprocal of the fuel efficiency:

Average speed = 1 / f(x)

Substituting x = 4 into the rational function, we have:

f(4) = 350 / (4 + 10) = 350 / 14 = 25

Explanation:

In this, we are dealing with a rational function that represents Jane's car's fuel
efficiency. The function is given as f(x) = 350 / (x + 10), where x represents the
number of hours driven and f(x) represents the fuel efficiency in miles per gallon
(mpg).

To find the estimated average speed of Jane's car during the trip, we need to
calculate the reciprocal of the fuel efficiency. This is because the average speed
is the distance traveled divided by the time taken. In this case, the distance
traveled is directly proportional to the fuel efficiency.

So, we calculate the average speed by taking the reciprocal of the fuel efficiency,
which gives us: Average speed = 1 / f(x).

Next, we substitute the given value of x into the rational function to find f(x).
In this problem, Jane drives for 4 hours, so we substitute x = 4 into the function:

f(4) = 350 / (4 + 10) = 350 / 14 = 25

Therefore, the estimated average speed of Jane's car during the trip is 25 miles
per hour (mph).

Solution:

Given the rational function: f(x) = 350 / (x + 10)

We want to find the estimated average speed of Jane's car during the trip when she
drives for 4 hours.

To find the average speed, we need to calculate the reciprocal of the fuel
efficiency. The average speed is the distance traveled divided by the time taken.

Average speed = 1 / f(x)


Substituting x = 4 into the function, we have:

f(4) = 350 / (4 + 10) = 350 / 14 = 25

Therefore, the estimated average speed of Jane's car during the trip is 25 miles
per hour (mph).

You might also like