Final answer:
The equation modeling how much money Amanda had before buying a water bottle is m - 23.94 = 12.75, where m is the initial amount of money.
Step-by-step explanation:
To model Amanda's purchase with an equation, we start with the variable m, which represents the amount of money she had initially. Amanda bought a reusable water bottle for $23.94, and after the purchase, she had $12.75 left. The equation that represents this situation is m - 23.94 = 12.75.
This equation is based on the principle that the starting amount of money (m) minus the cost of the water bottle ($23.94) equals the amount of money remaining ($12.75).