Final answer:
The correct equation to represent the cost in dollars (y) of using the electrician for x hours is y = 40x + 25. The independent variable is x, the number of hours, and the dependent variable is y, the cost in dollars. The y-intercept is 25 and the slope is 40.
Step-by-step explanation:
The correct equation to represent the cost in dollars (y) of using the electrician for x hours is y = 40x + 25.
To find the equation, we start with the fixed fee of $40, which is represented by the constant term. Then we add the fee per hour, which is $25x, where x represents the number of hours. Since the fee per hour is added, the correct equation is y = 40x + 25.
The independent variable in this equation is x, which represents the number of hours. The dependent variable is y, which represents the cost in dollars. The y-intercept is the constant term, which in this case is 25, and the slope is the coefficient of x, which is 40.