Final answer:
William is evaluating two investment plans: Plan I, with a $12,000 initial investment and $400 monthly, is represented by y = 400x + 12,000; Plan II is y = 11,000 + 420x. Both investment functions are increasing, Plan I has a greater y-intercept, and Plan II has a greater unit rate.
Step-by-step explanation:
William is trying to decide between two five-year investment plans. In plan I, a one-time investment of $12,000 is needed, followed by equal monthly investments of $400. This can be represented by the linear function y = 400x + 12,000. Plan II is already given by the function y = 11,000 + 420x, where y is the total amount invested and x is the number of months.
When comparing the two investment functions, we can make the following true statements:
- The functions are both increasing, as both have positive unit rates (slopes).
- The function for plan I has a greater y-intercept ($12,000 compared to $11,000 for plan II).
- The function for plan II has a greater unit rate ($420 per month compared to $400 per month for plan I).
Thus, over time, plan II's total investment grows faster due to a higher monthly investment amount, even though it starts with a slightly lower initial investment.