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Difficulty: MediumUnit Price Comparisons

A motor pool sergeant is purchasing industrial degreaser for the vehicle maintenance bay. The facility requires exactly 88 gallons of degreaser. A supply catalog offers the degreaser in two sizes: a 11-gallon jug for $14.50\$14.50 and a 3232-ounce bottle for $4.00\$4.00. If the sergeant purchases the required amount using the most cost-effective option, how much money will be saved in total compared to buying the more expensive option?

  1. A
    $1.20\$1.20
  2. $12.00\$12.00Answer
  3. C
    $84.00\$84.00
  4. D
    $108.00\$108.00

Answer

$12.00\$12.00
The correct answer is found by first equalizing the volumes. There are 128 ounces in a gallon, so it takes four 32-ounce bottles to make a single gallon. Buying the degreaser in bottles costs 4 × 4.00=4.00 = 16.00 per gallon. The 1-gallon jug costs 14.50,meaningthejugsaves14.50, meaning the jug saves 1.50 per gallon compared to the bottles. Because the facility needs 8 gallons, the total savings is 8 × 1.50=1.50 = 12.00.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Determine the number of 32-ounce bottles needed to equal one gallon.
Since 11 gallon equals 128128 ounces, 128÷32=4128 \div 32 = 4 bottles per gallon.
To accurately compare prices, both options must be evaluated at the same unit of volume.
2
Calculate the price per gallon for the 32-ounce bottle option.
44 bottles ×$4.00=$16.00\times \$4.00 = \$16.00 per gallon.
This establishes a direct unit price comparison against the 1-gallon jug.
3
Determine which option is more cost-effective and calculate the savings per gallon.
The jug costs $14.50\$14.50 per gallon, which is $1.50\$1.50 cheaper than the $16.00\$16.00 per gallon cost of the bottles.
Finding the difference in unit price is necessary to calculate the total savings over the entire purchase.
4
Calculate the total savings for the required 8 gallons.
88 gallons ×$1.50=$12.00\times \$1.50 = \$12.00 total savings.
The facility requires 8 gallons, so the per-gallon savings must be multiplied by the total volume needed.

Key Concept

Comparing unit prices across different measurement units to find total purchase savings.
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Topics

Unit Price Comparisons

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