Final answer:
To express the price of the chair as a function of time, we use the equation P(t) = $50 + $(2.90 - 0.10t), where P(t) represents the price of the chair after t years since 2017.
Step-by-step explanation:
To express the price of the chair as a function of time, we need to find the equation that represents the price increase. We know that the price increase decreases by 10 cents each subsequent year. Since the price in 2017 is $50 and the price in 2018 is $52.90, we can find the equation for the price increase as follows:
Let P(t) be the price of the chair after t years since 2017. We have P(0) = $50 and P(1) = $52.90. The price increase is $52.90 - $50 = $2.90. Since the price increase decreases by 10 cents each subsequent year, we can express the price increase as $(2.90 - 0.10t). Therefore, the equation for the price of the chair as a function of t is P(t) = $50 + $(2.90 - 0.10t).