A certain European automobile has a gas mileage of 17 km/L. What is the gas mileage in miles per gallon?

Name: Chemistry: A Molecular Approach
Author: Tro
ISBN: 9780134112831

Verified step by step guidance

Identify the conversion factors needed: 1 mile = 1.60934 kilometers and 1 gallon = 3.78541 liters.

Convert kilometers to miles by dividing the given kilometers per liter (17 km/L) by the conversion factor for kilometers to miles (1.60934 km/mile).

Convert liters to gallons by multiplying the result from the previous step by the conversion factor for liters to gallons (3.78541 L/gallon).

Combine the conversions to find the gas mileage in miles per gallon (mpg).

Ensure the units cancel appropriately, leaving you with the final unit of miles per gallon.

Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Unit Conversion

Unit conversion is the process of converting a quantity expressed in one set of units to another. In this case, we need to convert kilometers per liter (km/L) to miles per gallon (mpg). This involves using conversion factors, such as knowing that 1 kilometer is approximately 0.621371 miles and 1 liter is about 0.264172 gallons.

Dimensional Analysis

Dimensional analysis is a mathematical technique used to convert one unit of measurement to another by multiplying by conversion factors. It ensures that units cancel appropriately, leading to the desired unit. This method is essential for solving problems involving different measurement systems, such as converting km/L to mpg.

Gas Mileage

Gas mileage refers to the distance a vehicle can travel per unit of fuel consumed, typically expressed in km/L or mpg. Understanding gas mileage is important for evaluating fuel efficiency and environmental impact. In this question, we are tasked with converting the given gas mileage from a metric system to an imperial system, which is common in different regions.

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