Solving decimal word problems using a linear equation.

Question

Alan rented a truck for one day. There was a base fee of $14.99, and there was an additional charge of 82 cents for each mile driven. Alan had to pay $202.77 when he returned the truck. For how many miles did he drive the truck?

Answer 1

Key Pieces of Information

Base fee: $14.99

Additional charge: $0.82 per mile

Total spent: $202.77

With this information you formulate this equation:

14.99 + 0.82x = 202.77

x is the number of miles driven

Solve for x:

Step 1: subtract 14.99 from both sides

14.99-14.99 + 0.82x = 202.77-14.99

0.82x = 187.78

Step 2: Divide by 0.82 on both sides

(0.82x)/0.82 = 187.78/0.82

x= 229 miles