Question

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1. take it further this table shows the city fuel consumption for 5 different cars.

car fuel consumption
toyota echo 26.8 l/400 km
ford focus 23.0 l/250 km
honda civic 11.25 l/150 km
saturn ion 33.25 l/350 km
hyundai accent 16.2 l/200 km
a) which of these cars is the most economical for city driving?
b) over a distance of 500 km, how much more fuel is needed to drive the least fuel - efficient car compared to the most fuel - efficient car? how did you find out? what assumptions do you make?

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate fuel - consumption rate per km for each car

For Toyota Echo: $\frac{26.8}{400}=0.067$ L/km
For Ford Focus: $\frac{23.0}{250}=0.092$ L/km
For Honda Civic: $\frac{11.25}{150}=0.075$ L/km
For Saturn Ion: $\frac{33.25}{350}=0.095$ L/km
For Hyundai Accent: $\frac{16.2}{200}=0.081$ L/km

Step2: Determine the most economical car

The car with the lowest fuel - consumption rate per km is the most economical. Comparing the rates: $0.067<0.075<0.081<0.092<0.095$. So, the Toyota Echo is the most economical for city driving.

Step3: Calculate fuel needed for 500 km for each car

For Toyota Echo: $0.067\times500 = 33.5$ L
For Ford Focus: $0.092\times500=46$ L
For Honda Civic: $0.075\times500 = 37.5$ L
For Saturn Ion: $0.095\times500=47.5$ L
For Hyundai Accent: $0.081\times500 = 40.5$ L
The least fuel - efficient car is Saturn Ion and the most fuel - efficient car is Toyota Echo.

Step4: Calculate the difference in fuel consumption

The difference in fuel needed for 500 km is $47.5 - 33.5=14$ L.
We assume that the fuel - consumption rate remains constant over the 500 - km distance.

Answer:

a) Toyota Echo
b) 14 L. We calculated the fuel - consumption rate per km for each car, then found the fuel needed for 500 km for each car. The least fuel - efficient car is Saturn Ion and the most fuel - efficient car is Toyota Echo. We assume the fuel - consumption rate is constant over the 500 - km distance.