Answer:
2.74
Explanation:
In this situation, the slope represents the rate of change of the total cost with respect to the number of meals delivered. The cost consists of two components: the charge for every 2 meals delivered and the service fee.
Let's assume \( x \) represents the number of meals delivered.
The cost \( y \) can be expressed as:
\[ y = 5.48 \times \left(\frac{x}{2}\right) + 3.50 \]
Now, let's simplify the equation:
\[ y = 2.74x + 3.50 \]
The slope of this situation is the coefficient of \( x \), which is 2.74.
So, the slope of this situation is 2.74, indicating that for every 1 additional meal delivered, the total cost increases by $2.74.