Question

Isaiah is a salesperson who sells computers at an electronics store. His total pay is represented by the equations

p=0.025x+85,
p represents Isaiah's total pay on a day when he sells x dollars worth of computers. What is the y-intercept of the equation, and what is its interpretation in the context of the problem?

a. The y-intercept is 0.025, representing Isaiah's base pay. In the context, it signifies his commission rate per dollar of sales.

b. The y-intercept is 85, representing Isaiah's base pay. In the context, it signifies his total pay on a day when he doesn't make any sales.

c. The y-intercept is 0.025, representing Isaiah's total pay. In the context, it signifies his base pay per dollar of sales.

d. The y-intercept is 85, representing Isaiah's total pay. In the context, it signifies his base pay on a day when he doesn't make any sales.

Answer 1

The y-intercept of the equation p=0.025x+85 is 85, which represents Isaiah's base pay, being the guaranteed amount he earns on a day he makes no sales.

Step-by-step explanation:

The y-intercept of the linear equation p=0.025x+85, which represents Isaiah's total pay on a day when he sells x dollars worth of computers, is 85. The y-intercept here represents the value of Isaiah's pay when x (the amount in dollars of computers sold) is zero.

Hence, the correct interpretation is that the y-intercept is Isaiah's base pay, the amount he earns on a day without any sales. In context, this means that if Isaiah does not sell any computers on a particular day, he would still make $85 for that day.

The commission is represented by the slope of the equation, which in this case is 0.025. This means for every dollar of computers Isaiah sells, he earns an additional 2.5 cents as commission on top of his base pay.