You are going on a camping trip and can carry only 2 gallons, or 8 quarts, of water. After 2 days of hiking, you have used 3 quarts of water. There is an accident, and you find yourself on a ledge where you must wait for someone to find you. You decide to drink 2 cups of water a day. Remember, 1 quart = 4 cups. Which equation represents the situation?
To determine the equation that represents the situation, we need to understand the given information and the variables involved.
Given:
- Initially, you have 8 quarts of water.
- After 2 days of hiking, you have used 3 quarts of water.
- You decide to drink 2 cups of water per day.
- 1 quart is equal to 4 cups.
Let's define the variables:
- g: gallons of water you carry (2 gallons)
- q: quarts of water you carry initially (8 quarts)
- c: cups of water you drink per day (2 cups)
- D: number of days you wait on the ledge (unknown)
Now, let's break down the information:
- After 2 days of hiking, you have used 3 quarts of water.
- This implies that you have 8 - 3 = 5 quarts of water left.
- Each quart of water is equivalent to 4 cups, so you have 5 * 4 = 20 cups of water left.
During the wait on the ledge, you will drink 2 cups of water per day.
- So, for D days, you will drink a total of 2 * D cups of water.
We need to find the equation that represents this situation:
1. You start with 2 gallons of water, which is equal to 8 quarts: g = 8.
2. After 2 days of hiking, you have used 3 quarts of water: q - 3 = 5.
3. Each quart of water is equivalent to 4 cups. So, the number of cups left is: q_left = (q - 3) * 4 = 20.
4. During the wait on the ledge, you will drink 2 cups of water per day: drank = 2 * D.
Combining these equations, the equation representing the situation can be written as:
8 - 3 = (8 - 3) * 4 - 2 * D.
Simplifying the equation, it becomes:
5 = 20 - 2D.
Therefore, the equation representing the situation is:
5 = 20 - 2D.