High School

Tim's company offers a reimbursement package of [tex] \$0.45 [/tex] per mile plus [tex] \$175 [/tex] a year for maintenance. If [tex] x [/tex] represents the number of miles, which equation below models [tex] C [/tex], the total amount of reimbursement the company offers?

A. [tex] C = 45x + 175 [/tex]

B. [tex] C = 0.45 + 175 [/tex]

C. [tex] C = 0.45 + 175x [/tex]

D. [tex] C = 0.45x + 175 [/tex]

Answer :

Certainly! Let's break down how to determine the correct equation for the total reimbursement, [tex]\( C \)[/tex], that Tim's company offers, based on the number of miles driven, [tex]\( x \)[/tex].

1. Understand the reimbursement breakdown:
- Per Mile Reimbursement: The company reimburses [tex]$0.45 per mile. This part of the reimbursement depends on the number of miles, \( x \), so we represent it as \( 0.45x \).
- Annual Maintenance Cost: Regardless of the miles driven, the company also provides an additional fixed amount of $[/tex]175 per year for maintenance.

2. Combine the costs:
- To find the total reimbursement [tex]\( C \)[/tex], we need to add the mileage reimbursement to the annual maintenance:
- The mileage cost is [tex]\( 0.45x \)[/tex].
- The maintenance cost is $175.
- Therefore, the equation for the total reimbursement [tex]\( C \)[/tex] is:
[tex]\[
C = 0.45x + 175
\][/tex]

3. Compare with the given options:
- Option A: [tex]\( C = 45x + 175 \)[/tex] (incorrect, as it uses 45 instead of 0.45).
- Option B: [tex]\( C = 0.45 + 175 \)[/tex] (incorrect, as it doesn't multiply 0.45 by [tex]\( x \)[/tex]).
- Option C: [tex]\( C = 0.45 + 175x \)[/tex] (incorrect, as it mistakenly applies the annual cost per mile).
- Option D: [tex]\( C = 0.45x + 175 \)[/tex] (correct, this matches our calculated equation).

Thus, the correct equation that models the total amount of reimbursement is [tex]\( C = 0.45x + 175 \)[/tex], which matches Option D.