Question

The telephone company offers two billing plans for local calls. Plan 1 charges ​$33 per month for unlimited calls and Plan 2 charges ​$14 per month plus ​$0.04 per call.

a. Use an inequality to find the number of monthly calls for which Plan 1 is more economical than Plan 2.
b. Explain the meaning of the answer to part a.
a. Let x represent the number of monthly calls.

Answer 1

To determine the number of monthly calls for which Plan 1 is more economical than Plan 2, we set up an inequality and solve for x. Plan 1 is more economical for any number of monthly calls greater than $125.

Step-by-step explanation:

To find the number of monthly calls for which Plan 1 is more economical than Plan 2, we need to compare the cost of both plans for a given number of calls. Let x represent the number of monthly calls.

For Plan 1, the cost is a fixed $33 per month, regardless of the number of calls.

For Plan 2, the cost is $14 per month plus $0.04 per call. The total cost for Plan 2 would be $14 + $0.04x.

We can set up the inequality: $33 < $14 + $0.04x. Simplifying, we get $0.04x > $19. Subtracting $14 from both sides, we have $0.04x > $5. Dividing both sides by $0.04, we find x > $5/$0.04.

Therefore, Plan 1 is more economical than Plan 2 for any number of monthly calls greater than $125.