Final answer:
Dwaine can use up to 955 minutes on his cell phone without exceeding his monthly budget of $62.75. This is calculated by subtracting the base charge from the budget and then dividing by the cost per minute.
Step-by-step explanation:
To calculate how many minutes Dwaine can use without exceeding his cell phone budget, we need to set up an equation using the given cell phone company charges and his monthly budget. The monthly base charge is $14.99, and it costs five cents per minute.
The equation to represent Dwaine's monthly cell phone expenses (E) based on the number of minutes used (M) is:
E = $14.99 + ($0.05 × M)
To find the number of minutes that fit Dwaine's budget of $62.75, we can substitute E with $62.75 and solve for M:
$62.75 = $14.99 + ($0.05 × M)
$62.75 - $14.99 = $0.05 × M
$47.76 = $0.05 × M
M = $47.76 / $0.05
M = 955 minutes
Therefore, Dwaine can use up to 955 minutes without exceeding his budget of $62.75.