Question

You want to get a new iphone. You have two options when purchasing this phone. You can pay a one-time charge of $200 and then an additional $15 per month. The second option is not paying any money at this time and having a monthly bill of $40 a month. Set up a system of equation to represent this situation.

Answer 1

I'm giving the total amount of money the variable "a" and "x" represents the months you are paying.

option 1:

$200 + $15(x) = a

lets say "x" = 12

$200 + $15(12) = a

$200 + $180 = a

a = $380

option 2:

$40x = a

again, "x" = 12

$40(12) = a

a = $480

Option 1 is the better option.