Final answer:
The linear cost function for the situation can be written as C(x) = 8.50 + 2.50x.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write the linear cost function for the situation, we need to consider the fixed cost and the variable cost per half hour. The fixed cost is $8.50 and the variable cost is $2.50 per half hour. Let x represent the number of half hours.
Therefore, the linear cost function can be written as C(x) = 8.50 + 2.50x, where C(x) represents the cost and x represents the number of half hours.