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An advertiser goes to a printer and is charged $36 for 80 copies of one flyer and $46 for 242 copies of another flyer. The printer charges a fixed setup cost plus a charge for every copy of single-page flyers. Find a function that describes the cost of a printing job, if xx is the number of copies made.

User Ezpresso
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Final answer:

To find the function that describes the cost of a printing job based on the number of copies made, we establish a system of linear equations from the given costs for specific quantities. After solving for the fixed cost (f) and the cost per copy (c), we formulate the function y = f + cx, where y is the total cost and x is the number of copies.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how to find a function that describes the cost of a printing job based on the number of copies made. We know that the printer charges a fixed setup cost and a charge for every additional copy.

We have two instances here:

  • 80 copies for $36
  • 242 copies for $46

Let's denote the fixed setup cost by f and the cost per copy by c. Then the two equations we have based on the given information would be:

  • 36 = f + 80c
  • 46 = f + 242c

This forms a system of linear equations, which we can solve using methods such as substitution or elimination to find f and c. Once found, the function describing the total cost, y, for x copies would be y = f + cx.

User Dixie
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