Question

A Metro bus card account costs $3.50 to activate. After activation, bus fare costs $1.25 for each ride. Gina spent $18.50 on her bus fare last week. Which equation can be used to determine the number of rides she took on the bus?

Answer 1

The equation to determine the number of rides Gina took on the bus is 3.50 + 1.25r = 18.50. Solving the equation, we find that Gina took 12 rides on the bus last week.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine the number of rides Gina took on the bus, we need to set up an equation that accounts for the initial activation cost and the cost per ride. We know that Gina's total expenditure for bus fare last week was $18.50. This total includes a one-time activation fee of $3.50, plus $1.25 for each ride she took.

Let r represent the number of rides Gina took. The total cost of the rides plus the activation fee is equal to Gina's total expenditure on bus fare. Therefore, we can write the equation as: 3.50 + 1.25r = 18.50.

To solve for r, we subtract the activation fee from both sides of the equation:

1.25r = 18.50 - 3.50

1.25r = 15.00

Then we divide both sides by the cost per ride to find the number of rides:

r = 15.00 / 1.25

r = 12

Thus, Gina took 12 rides on the bus last week.