Question

The cost, c(x) for a taxi ride is given by c(x)=3x+2.00, where x is the number of minutes. What does the slope mean in this situation

Answer 1

3 is the slope, the "change in y over the change in x."

Using that "change in y over the change in x" idea, we can identify the unit of the slope as "y units over x unit" or "y units per x unit."

In this situation, this means the unit would be "cost per minute." Assuming you're in the U.S., this would be "dollars per minute." If you're in England, you can use "pounds per minute."

Since the slope is positive, this tells you that the cost of the cab ride is increasing at a rate of 3 (monetary units) per minute.