Tim runs Sox Box, a subscription service that regularly sends fun socks to customers. Each box costs $12.35 to produce and $2.65 to ship. Tim also spends $600 a month on online advertising. He charges his customers $35 per box.

Question

Which equation can you use to find b, the number of boxes Tim must sell each month for his sales to equal his monthly expenses?

35b=600+12.35b+2.65b

35+12.35b=600+2.65b

Answer 1

To find the number of boxes (b) Tim must sell each month for his sales to equal his monthly expenses, we first need to calculate his total expenses and then set up an equation comparing income from sales to expenses.

1. Income from sales: Tim sells each box for $35, so for b boxes, his income is \( 35b \).

2. Expenses:

   • Cost to produce each box: $12.35, so for b boxes, it is \( 12.35b \).
   • Cost to ship each box: $2.65, so for b boxes, it is \( 2.65b \).
   • Monthly advertising cost: $600.
   • Total expenses will therefore be the sum of production, shipping, and advertising costs:
     \[ \text{Total Expenses} = 600 + 12.35b + 2.65b = 600 + (12.35 + 2.65)b = 600 + 15b \]

Now we can set up the equation for the situation where sales equal expenses:

\[ 35b = 600 + 15b \]

So, the final equation you can use to find b is:

\[ 35b = 600 + 15b \]

This is the correct equation based on the options you provided.