Question

The car rental company charges $78.50 per day plus $45 for insurance. Write an equation to estimate the cost C for renting a car for x days.

a) ( C = 78.50x + 45 )
b) ( C = 45x + 78.50 )
c) ( C = 123.50x )
d) ( C = 45 + 78.50x )

Answer 1

The correct equation that represents the cost C for renting a car for x days, given a charge of $78.50 per day plus a $45 insurance fee, is C = 78.50x + 45.

Step-by-step explanation:

To write an equation to estimate the cost C for renting a car for x days, the cost per day and the insurance cost must be considered. The company charges a daily rate, as well as a one-time insurance fee. Therefore, the cost includes a fixed charge for the insurance and a variable charge that depends on the number of days the car is rented.

Since the company charges $78.50 per day and a one-time insurance fee of $45, you would add the daily rate multiplied by the number of days, x, to the one-time insurance fee to find the total estimated cost. This can be represented by the equation C = 78.50x + 45, which corresponds to option (a).