Question

A construction company charges $15 per hour for debris removal, plus a one-time fee for the use of a trash dumpster. The total fee for 9 hours of service is $195. How do you find the total fee y for any number of hours x?

Answer 1

`y=15x+60`

Explanation:

We have a function where the total fee, y, that equals an hourly fee of $15 per hour (x hours) and a one-time fee, f, that we haven't been given. So what we know at this point is:

`y=15x+f`

Once we know f, we'll have the equation. But we can solve for f by dropping in the charge for 9 hours:

`195=15(9)+f`

`f=195-135=60`

So we can find the general formula for y:

`y=15x+60`