Answer:
The hourly charge for the first three hours is 4 dollars. The hourly charge for the next three hours is 2 dollars. The hourly charge for the next four hours is 1 dollar. The maximum price of the bike rental is 30 dollars.
Explanation:
Looking at the graph, we see that the slope, which is the bike rental price per hour, is constant for the first three hours. Then, it changes and remains constant between the 3rd and 6th hour. After that, it changes and remains constant between the 6th and 10th hours. Finally, the cost becomes a constant after 10 hours, meaning the slope becomes 0. This is consistent with the information given in the answer section. Now, we can proceed with the problem.
We have to remember that the slope of the graph is the hourly charge because the y-axis is the cost and the x-axis is the time.
The first part of the question deals with the first three hours. Between hour 0 and hour 3, the price goes up from 8 to 20. We can calculate the slope (m) by calculating the rise over the run (divide the difference in the prices by the difference in the hours):
We can also see visually that the price goes up by 4 for every hour. Either way, the hourly charge for the first three hours is 4 dollars
Between hours 3 and 6, which is the second part of the question, the price goes from 20 to 26. Here is the calculation of the slope:
Therefore, the hourly charge for the next three hours is 2 dollars
Between hours 6 and 10, which is the third part of the question, the price goes from 26 to 30. Here is the calculation of the slope:
Therefore, the hourly charge for the next four hours is 1 dollar
Finally, after hour 10, the price consistently stays at 30. The slope is 0 because the line on the graph is horizontal. The horizontal line is also the maximum portion of the graph. Therefore, the maximum price of the bike rental is 30 dollars.