Question

Eva is picking fruit at a farm. The fees are $5 for entry to the farm, $2.50 per pound of blueberries, and $2 per pound of apples she picks to take home. Let b be the number of pounds of blueberries and a be the number of pounds of apples Eva picked. Which of the following expressions could represent how much Eva pays?

A : 5(2.5b + 2a)
B : (2.5 + 2)(a + b) + 5
C : 2.5b + 2a + 5
D : 5 + 2.5a + 2b

Answer 1

The correct expression that represents Eva's total cost is Option C: 2.5b + 2a + 5, which calculates the fixed entry fee and the variable costs of the fruit picked, multiplied by their prices per pound.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how much Eva pays for the fruit she picks at the farm, we begin by establishing the cost of entry, which is a fixed fee, and then we add the variable costs of the fruit she picks. The total cost can be calculated using the formula: total cost = entry fee + (cost per pound of blueberries × number of pounds of blueberries) + (cost per pound of apples × number of pounds of apples).

Given the costs are $5 for entry, $2.50 per pound of blueberries, and $2 per pound of apples, and using b for the number of pounds of blueberries and a for the number of pounds of apples, the expression that represents how much Eva pays is:
2.5b + 2a + 5.

Therefore, the correct expression is Option C: 2.5b + 2a + 5. This is because the expression accounts for the fixed entry cost and the variable costs associated with the quantity of each fruit picked, multiplied by their respective prices per pound.