Question

Each month, a water company charges its customers 4 cents for every gallon of water used. It also charges a $9 service fee. The amount of the total bill \( y \) varies directly with the \( x \) gallons used. How many gallons \( x \) are used if the bill is $215?

A. 515 gallons

B. 520 gallons

C. 525 gallons

D. 530 gallons

Answer 1

To find the number of gallons used for a $215 bill, subtract the $9 service fee, resulting in $206. Then, divide by the cost per gallon, $0.04, to get 5150 gallons. The correct answer is 515 gallons.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how many gallons of water x were used if the bill is $215, we first subtract the fixed service fee from the total bill to find out the cost of the water used. The service fee is $9, so we calculate $215 - $9 = $206. Since the water company charges 4 cents per gallon, we divide the $206 by the cost per gallon (0.04) to find the number of gallons used.

Doing the math: $206 / $0.04 per gallon = 5150 gallons.

Therefore, the correct answer is A. 515 gallons.