Final answer:
You would need at least 17 referrals for the first deal, which offers $50 cashback plus $5 per referral, to be better than the second deal, which offers a flat $130 cashback.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let's calculate how many referrals are needed before the first deal becomes more advantageous than the second deal. The first deal offers $50 cashback plus an additional $5 for each referral, while the second deal offers a flat $130 cashback without any referrals.
To find the number of referrals needed, we solve for the number of referrals in the inequation: $5 × ( ext{number of referrals}) > $80. Dividing both sides by $5 gives us × ( ext{number of referrals}) > 16. Therefore, you would need more than 16 referrals, meaning at least 17 referrals, for the first deal to be better than the second deal.