Final answer:
To represent Charles's account balance after monthly utility payments, the function is f(x)=1600-400x. It models the decrease of $400 from the initial $1600 for each passing month.
Step-by-step explanation:
Charles has an initial amount of $1600 in his account, and he makes automatic monthly payments of $400 for a utility bill. To represent this situation as a function, we can define the function of his account balance after x months as f(x)=1600-400x.
This linear function shows that for each month that passes, $400 is subtracted from the starting amount of $1600. So, after 1 month, Charles will have f(1)=1600-400*1=$1200. After 2 months, he will have f(2)=1600-400*2=$800, and so on.
This will continue until his account balance runs out. This function will help Charles track his utility bill payments over the coming months.