Put in a linear equation

Question

Rachael needs a car to rent to get to and from school. Rental is 44.00 a day, .05 a mile, school is 10 miles each way. Rachael budget is $800.00 How many days could she rent the car?

Answer 1

Hi Diane,

I think that we should try to describe the total cost per day for Rachael to use the car.

Each day she uses the car, it costs a flat rate of $44/day.

If she is driving to and from school, it will also cost her an additional ($0.05/mile) x (20 miles) per day

(20 miles because it is 10 miles each way)

So every day, it will cost her $44 + ($.05 * 20) = $45

If she has a total budget of $800, and it costs $45 per day, she could afford to rent the car for:

$800

$45

= 17.777....

So she could afford to pay that rate for 17 complete days, but she would not have enough money for the 18th day.