Question

5. To rent a bicycle a bike shop charges a deposit plus an hourly rate, Jim can

determine how much he will have to pay for a rental lasting t hours by using the
expression 8t + 20. What does the coefficient 8 most likely represent?
a) time
b.) insurance
c.) hourly rate
d.) deposit

Answer 1

c.) hourly rate

Explanation:

The value the coefficient represents can often be learned from its units. The term 8t gives a value in currency units, since the expression 8t+20 is an amount that is to be paid. (We can only add like terms, so both 8t and 20 must have currency units.)

The value of t has units of hours, so the coefficient 8 must have units that are ...

8 currency units/hour

That is, multiplying by hours gives currency units.

In this context, a number with units of currency units per hour is most likely the hourly rate of the rental.