High School

General admission to the zoo is [tex]\$50[/tex] per person. Food costs an additional [tex]\$18[/tex] per person. Parking is [tex]\$10[/tex] per family. Write a linear equation in one variable that would determine the number of family members that visited the zoo if the total cost of the trip was [tex]\$218[/tex].

A. [tex]50n + 18n + 10 = 200[/tex]

B. [tex]50n + 18n + 10 = 218[/tex]

C. [tex]50n + 18n = 218 + 10[/tex]

D. [tex]50n + 18n + 5 = 218[/tex]

Answer :

To determine the number of family members that visited the zoo, we need to set up a linear equation. Here's the breakdown of the costs:

1. General Admission Cost: This is [tex]$50 per person. If \( n \) represents the number of family members, the total cost for admission is \( 50n \).

2. Food Cost: This is $[/tex]18 per person. Therefore, the total cost for food is [tex]\( 18n \)[/tex].

3. Parking Cost: This is a fixed amount of [tex]$10 for the whole family.

Now, we set up the equation using these costs. The sum of all these costs gives us the total cost of the trip, which is $[/tex]218:

[tex]\[ 50n + 18n + 10 = 218 \][/tex]

Simplifying the equation:

- Combine the like terms for the costs per person:
[tex]\[ 50n + 18n = 68n \][/tex]

So the equation becomes:

[tex]\[ 68n + 10 = 218 \][/tex]

This equation will help you determine the number of family members, [tex]\( n \)[/tex], that went to the zoo.