(Worth 50 points) Jell E. Bean owns the local frozen yogurt shop. At her store, customers serve themselves a bowl of frozen yogurt and top it with chocolate chips, frozen raspberries, and any of the different treats available. Customers must then weigh their creations and are charged by the weight of their bowls.
Jell E. Bean charges for five pounds of dessert, but not many people buy that much frozen yogurt. She needs you to help her figure out how much to charge her customers. She has customers that are young children who buy only a small amount of yogurt as well as large groups that come in and pay for everyone’s yogurt together.
A. Is it reasonable to assume that the weight of the yogurt is proportional to its cost? How can you tell?
B. Assuming it is proportional, make a table that lists the price for at least ten different weights of yogurt. Be sure to include at least three weights that are not whole numbers.
C. What is the unit rate of the yogurt? (Stores often call this the unit price.) Use the unit rate to write an equation that Jell E. Bean can use to calculate the amount any customer will pay.
D. If Jell E. Bean decided to start charging for each cup before her customers started filling it with yogurt and toppings, could you use the same equation to find the new prices? Why or why not?