Final answer:
An explicit rule for the cost of shipping based on weight is C(p) = 6.25 + 1.35(p - 1), where p is the number of pounds. The 13th term, which is $22.45, represents the cost to ship a 13-pound package.
Step-by-step explanation:
To answer the student's question, we need to derive an explicit rule for the cost of packaging and shipping based on weight. The cost is $6.25 for the first pound and then $1.35 for each additional pound. The explicit rule can be represented as C(p) = 6.25 + 1.35(p - 1), where C(p) is the total cost and p is the number of pounds.
To find the 13th term, we would plug in 13 for p in our rule: C(13) = 6.25 + 1.35(13 - 1) = 6.25 + 1.35(12) = 6.25 + 16.20 = $22.45.
The 13th term represents the cost of shipping a package that weighs 13 pounds.