Final answer:
To calculate the cost of a health club membership based on month length, use the linear equation c = 20m + 20, where m represents the number of months. A 30-month membership costs $620.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the equation that can be used to calculate the cost of a 30-month health club membership, we use the information that the relationship is linear. First, we identify two points: (12, 260) and (18, 380), where the first number is the months, and the second number is the cost. Using the formula for the slope of a line (m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)), we calculate the slope to determine the rate at which the cost increases per month. The slope (m) is (380 - 260) / (18 - 12) = 120 / 6 = 20. This means the cost increases by $20 for each additional month.
Now that we know the slope, we can use one of the points to find the y-intercept (b) of the equation c = m*m + b. Substituting the point (12, 260) into the equation gives us 260 = 20*12 + b, which simplifies to 260 = 240 + b, so b = 260 - 240 = $20. The linear equation that represents the cost for any length of membership in months is then c = 20m + 20.
To find the cost of a 30-month membership, we substitute m = 30 into the equation: c = 20*30 + 20, which gives us c = 600 + 20 = $620. Thus, the cost of a 30-month membership is $620.