Question

eric has a small atv that gets 20 miles per gallon of gasoline. that means 1/20th of a gallon is used for every mile traveled. the atv has a 4 - gallon gas tank that is full. write an equation in slope - intercept form to represent this situation (remember to leave spaces between your math symbols).

Explanation:

Step1: Identify slope - intercept form

The slope - intercept form is $y = mx + b$, where $m$ is the slope and $b$ is the y - intercept.

Step2: Determine the y - intercept

The gas tank starts full with 4 gallons. So when the miles traveled $x = 0$, the gallons of gas $y=4$. Thus, $b = 4$.

Step3: Determine the slope

The ATV uses $\frac{1}{20}$ of a gallon per mile. So the amount of gas is decreasing. The slope $m=-\frac{1}{20}$.

Step4: Write the equation

Substitute $m = -\frac{1}{20}$ and $b = 4$ into $y=mx + b$. We get $y=-\frac{1}{20}x + 4$.

Answer:

$y=-\frac{1}{20}x + 4$