Suppose that the distance a car travels varies directly with the amount of gasoline it uses. A certain car uses 28 gallons of gasoline to travel 504 miles. If the car travels 450 miles, how much gasoline does it need?
To find out how much gasoline the car needs to travel 450 miles, we can set up a proportion based on the given information:
504 miles is to 28 gallons as 450 miles is to x gallons
(504 miles / 28 gallons) = (450 miles / x gallons)
Simplifying the equation, we get:
504/28 = 450/x
18 = 450/x
Now, we can solve for x by cross multiplying:
18x = 450
x = 450 / 18
x = 25
Therefore, the car needs 25 gallons of gasoline to travel 450 miles.