A base landscaping crew needs to purchase concentrated herbicide. Vendor A sells a 5-gallo… — Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB)

A base landscaping crew needs to purchase concentrated herbicide. Vendor A sells a $5$ -gallon drum of the herbicide for $\$140.00$ . Vendor B sells the same herbicide in $2$ -quart bottles for $\$15.00$ each. What is the difference in price per gallon, in dollars, between the two vendors?

Answer: 2 dollars

Answer

The difference in price per gallon between the two vendors is 2 dollars.

By converting both options to a common unit price of dollars per gallon, we find Vendor A charges

28.00 per gallon and Vendor B charges

30.00 per gallon. The difference between these unit prices is

30.00 -

28.00 = $2.00.

Step-by-Step Solution

Calculate the price per gallon for Vendor A.

\$140.00 \div 5 \text{ gallons} = \$28.00 \text{ per gallon}

To compare prices accurately, both must be expressed as a unit rate (price per gallon).

Convert the volume of Vendor B's bottles into gallons to find how many bottles equal one gallon.

Since there are

4 \text{ quarts}

1 \text{ gallon}

, a

2

-quart bottle is

0.5 \text{ gallons}

. Therefore, it takes

2

bottles to make

1 \text{ gallon}

Unit prices must be in the same measurement (gallons) for a valid comparison.

Calculate the price per gallon for Vendor B.

\$15.00 \times 2 \text{ bottles} = \$30.00 \text{ per gallon}

This establishes the unit rate for Vendor B.

Find the difference between the two unit prices.

\$30.00 - \$28.00 = \$2.00

The question asks for the numeric difference in price per gallon.

Key Concept

Comparing unit prices by converting to a common unit of measure.

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