Introduction
Taking a road trip is less expensive for our family of 6 than flying, but let's figure out how much we need to save for gas!
When figuring out the amount of gas and money needed, you need to think about 4 key factors:
1. How long is the distance of the trip? (miles)
2. What kind of gas mileage does the vehicle get? (miles per gallon)
3. How much does gas cost? (dollars per gallon)
4. How many gallons can the car's gas tank hold?
Task
First, let's figure out how many miles it is from Fishers, Indiana to our hotel in Tyson's Corner, Virginia. Back in the old days, we used to have to get out an atlas or unfold a big map of the United States to see which roads to take. You would have to measure the distance using a ruler and then calculate the mileage using the scale on the map!
Now, figuring out the distance is much easier with all of our new technology. GPS and maps on the Internet, such as Google Maps, can quickly tell you the mileage as soon as you plug in the addresses.
Click this link and see how Google Maps calculates the distance from Fishers to Tyson's Corner.
How far away is the shortest distance?
Record on your sheet
Process
Next, we need to decide what is the average amount we will pay per gallon of gas. While it is hard to know exactly, we can search for average gas prices in 2014 to get a basic idea. Hopefully the gas stations we find will be less expensive!
When you go to Google and type in "average gas prices in 2014" there are many sites that brought up. However, the most reliable sources are usually the ones that end in ".gov" because that means they are from our government.
Click here to find the site from the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
What is the average price we will pay per gallon?
Record the amount on your sheet.
Evaluation
Finally, we need to know two things about the vehicle we are traveling in: the size of our gas tank and how well the vehicle uses the gas in the tank.
The size of the gas tank means how many gallons of gas the vehicle can have in it. How well the vehicle uses the gas is called the "fuel economy"--how many miles per gallon it can go. The more miles per gallon the vehicle can get, the better the fuel economy. Typically bigger cars has a lower fuel economy while smaller cars have better.
The fuel economy (or gas mileage) of a vehicle can be described in "City" and "Highway" miles. Why do you think that would be? Discuss this with your partner...
Finding this information for our van is an easy internet search. When typing "Chrysler Town and Country 2011 gas mileage" into a Google search, we can again find a ".gov" site that will have the most true information.
Click here to find out the Fuel Economy for our van. What is it? (Use Highway miles) Click here to find out the "Fuel Tank Capacity" (scroll down to find it--this is how many gallons the gas tank can hold).
Record on your sheet.
Conclusion
Now it is time to put in all of the numbers, do some calculations, and figure out the money!
Using your "Gas Buddy" sheet where you have recorded all of your facts, think about the following information while you complete your calculations:
When we fill up our empty gas tank in Fishers, Indiana, we will be putting in _____ gallons of gas. We will be paying _______ per gallon of gas. We will be getting _____ miles per gallon of gas, so this first tank of gas will last _______ miles. Since we have to travel a total of _______ miles, we will need to refill our tank _______ times for a total cost of _______.
Now, that is just what it will take to get us to our hotel in Tyson's Corner, VA. After that, we will be going to Virginia Beach, VA (209 miles) and then back home to Fishers, IN (738 miles).
Using your calculations above, what will it cost to get to Virginia Beach? What will it cost to get home? Our total round-trip mileage amount will be 1,525.