Final answer:
The situation can be modelled by a linear equation because the total cost changes at a constant rate, signifying linearity. The processing fee is equivalent to the y-intercept in the linear equation, and the daily fee corresponds to the slope. To calculate the maximum number of days within a certain budget, deduct the processing fee from the total budget and divide it by the daily fee.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine if the situation can be modelled by a linear equation, we look for a consistent change in the total cost concerning the number of days. Since the total cost increases by a constant rate every day, this characteristic fulfils the criteria for linearity, so the answer is yes; the situation can be modelled by a linear equation.
The processing fee can be understood as the y-intercept of the linear equation and the daily fee as the slope. The y-intercept is the initial amount paid regardless of the number of days, which represents the processing fee. The slope is the amount by which the total cost increases for each additional day, which corresponds to the daily fee. To identify these, you would typically look at the table provided with the question, which isn't included here, but this is how you would analyze it.
Lastly, if you have a maximum budget (for instance, $1200), you can use the linear equation to calculate the maximum number of days you can rent the beach house. You subtract the processing fee from your total budget and then divide the result by the daily fee to find the maximum number of days.