The petrol consumption of a car, in litres per 100 kilometres, is given by the formula
$$
Petrol \, consumption = \frac{100 \times \text{Number of litres of petrol used}}{\text{Number of kilometres travelled}}
$$
Nathan’s car travelled 148 kilometres, correct to 3 significant figures - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 16 - 2017 - Paper 3
Question 16
The petrol consumption of a car, in litres per 100 kilometres, is given by the formula
$$
Petrol \, consumption = \frac{100 \times \text{Number of litres of petrol ... show full transcript
Worked Solution & Example Answer:The petrol consumption of a car, in litres per 100 kilometres, is given by the formula
$$
Petrol \, consumption = \frac{100 \times \text{Number of litres of petrol used}}{\text{Number of kilometres travelled}}
$$
Nathan’s car travelled 148 kilometres, correct to 3 significant figures - Edexcel - GCSE Maths - Question 16 - 2017 - Paper 3
Step 1
Calculate petrol consumption using Nathan's data
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Answer
To determine if Nathan is correct, we first apply the data provided to the petrol consumption formula. The distance travelled is 148 km and the litres of petrol used is 11.8 l.
Using the formula:
Petrolconsumption=148100×11.8≈7.97litres per 100 kilometres
Since 7.97 is less than 8, Nathan’s statement appears to be correct.
Step 2
Check accuracy of significant figures
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Answer
Since both quantities (11.8 litres and 148 kilometres) are given to 3 significant figures, the calculated petrol consumption of 7.97 litres per 100 kilometres is also accurate to 3 significant figures. Therefore, Nathan could be correct in stating that his car uses less than 8 litres per 100 kilometres.