Question

A daycare charges a base fee of [3] dollars plus [0.50] dollars per minute for late (after closing time) pick-ups. Albin had to pay [10.50] dollars for a late pick-up. Albin uses the equation [10.50=0.50a+3] to represent the situation. What is the value of 'a'?

Answer 1

The value of 'a' is 15, which represents the number of minutes Albin was late for the daycare pickup.

Step-by-step explanation:

The value of 'a' in the equation 10.50 = 0.50a + 3, which represents the situation of a daycare charging a base fee and additional cost for late pick-ups, can be calculated through simple algebraic manipulation. First, we need to isolate the variable 'a' by subtracting the base fee from both sides of the equation:

10.50 - 3 = 0.50a

7.50 = 0.50a

Next, we divide both sides by 0.50 to solve for 'a':

7.50 / 0.50 = a

15 = a

Therefore, the value of 'a', which stands for the number of minutes Albin was late, is 15 minutes.