Math, autos: putting gas in the tank
Self-tutoring about refueling a vehicle: the tutor mentions some thoughts.
The following is by my understanding.
I’ve recently become the main driver of a 2013 Jeep Patriot. It was around 3/8 full of gas when I got it, then I let it get down to between 1/4 and 1/8 tank, then put thirty dollars in the tank. (Old-school, 80s behaviour:) That amount put the fuel level to about half full.
I researched the fuel capacity, which it turns out is 51L. At around two dollars per litre, therefore, a full fill-up, from empty, should cost around 102 dollars.
I use the Jeep to drive around town doing errands; the fuel level drops gradually as days go by. Yesterday, with the fuel back down to just under 1/4 tank, I realized I should refuel.
I decided to pre-authorize 75 dollars, wondering what would happen. It actually took the whole 75 dollars.
Starting the car back up, I looked at the fuel gauge: right at full. This was a coincidence: I’d just fueled it until the pump stopped pumping. It hadn’t stopped before 75 dollars, like pumps sometimes will when the tank is getting full.
So, one can see that at 102 dollars for a full tank (call it 100 for easy math), 75 dollars should be about 3/4 of a tank, which was how it played out, given that the tank was 1/4 full when I started refueling.
Source:
Jack of Oracle Tutoring by Jack and Diane, Campbell River, BC.