Question

Jeff had $1,085 in his bank account. Then he withdrew $55 per month to pay bills. He wrote the equation y = 55x – 1,085 to model the situation. Is Jeff’s equation correct?

A. Yes, because the initial amount is $1,085 and the amount changes by $55 each month
B. No, because 1,085 should be positive and 55 should be negative
C. Yes, because the initial amount is –1,085 and the amount changes by 55 each month
D. No, because the slope is correct, but the y- intercept is not

Answer 1

Jeff's equation is incorrect; the proper equation to model the situation should be y = -55x + 1,085 with a positive initial amount and a negative slope to account for the monthly decrease.

Step-by-step explanation:

Jeff's equation y = 55x - 1,085 is intended to model the situation where he initially has $1,085 in his bank account and withdraws $55 per month to pay bills. The equation is incorrect. The initial amount of money in his bank account should be positive in the equation, as it is the starting value when x (time in months) is zero. Moreover, the amount that changes each month should be subtracted from the initial amount, which means that the correct model should be y = -55x + 1,085. Therefore, the amount of money decreases by $55 each month.

The correct option is B: No, because 1,085 should be positive and 55 should be negative. This equation properly reflects the initial amount as a positive y-intercept and the monthly decrease in funds as a negative slope.