Can you solve the equation for me? I don't really understand how to do this. Thank you

Question

You want to know the number of minutes that you can use on a $20.00 phone card. The card company charges $0.50 for the card and $0.10 for each minute used. The equation , where m is the number of minutes on the card, represents this situation. Solve the equation and write a reason for each step. If necessary, round your answer to the nearest hundredth.

Answer 1

Hello, Cheyenne!

Okay, so the equation for the phone card is 0.50 + .10m = 20.00 where m is the number of minutes.

The $ 0.50 is the initial 50 cents charged and then 10 cents per minute times m minutes.

To solve:

0.50 + 0.10m = 20.00

First, isolate the variable (m) by subtracting 0.50 from each side:

0.50 - 0.50 + 0.10m = 20.00 - 0.50

Now, you have:

0.10m = 19.50

Next, divide each side by 0.10 to isolate m:

(0.10/0.10)m = (19.50/0.10)

Now, you have::

m = 195

Therefore, the number of minutes you can use on a $20 phone card is 195.