Final answer:
The question asks for a calculation of how long Sarah can rent a bike with her budget. After deducting the helmet fee, she can afford to rent the bike for 5 full hours. The calculation involves understanding fixed and variable costs.
Step-by-step explanation:
Calculating Total Cost for Renting a Bike
Sarah wants to rent a bike and has a budget of <$70>. To calculate the maximum number of hours Sarah can rent a bike, we first need to consider the fixed cost of the helmet, which is <$4> for the entire ride. After paying for the helmet, the remaining budget for the bike rental is <$70> - <$4> = <$66>. Since the bike rental costs <$12> per hour, we divide the remaining budget by the hourly rate to find the maximum number of hours she can rent the bike. So, the calculation would be <$66> / <$12> per hour = 5.5 hours. Therefore, Sarah can rent the bike for up to 5 full hours and have some money left over, since she can't rent the bike for a half hour.
This type of question involves creating and solving an equation. Similar to the example provided for Emma's Extreme Sports, where the total cost depends on the number of students, Sarah's total spending depends on the number of hours she rents the bike. The equation representing the total cost for Sarah would be: Total Cost = (Total Hours x Cost per Hour) + Helmet Fee.
Understanding how to calculate costs with fixed and variable components is an essential financial literacy skill and helps students develop problem-solving abilities.