Question

How do I write a linear equation to model the relationship between the number of loaves sold and time for a bakery that sold 250 loaves in 5 hours and use it to calculate sales in 9 hours?

Answer 1

To write a linear equation that models the relationship between the number of loaves sold and time for the bakery, we can start by determining the rate at which the loaves are sold.

Given:
- The bakery sold 250 loaves in 5 hours.

First, we need to find the rate of loaves sold per hour:

\[
\text{Rate} = \frac{\text{Number of loaves}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{250 \text{ loaves}}{5 \text{ hours}} = 50 \text{ loaves/hour}
\]

Now, we can use this rate to write the equation. Let \( y \) represent the number of loaves sold, and \( x \) represent the time in hours. The relationship can be described by the equation:

\[
y = 50x
\]

This equation tells us that for every hour (x), the bakery sells 50 loaves (y).

Now, we want to calculate the sales in 9 hours. We can substitute \( x = 9 \) into the equation:

\[
y = 50(9) = 450
\]

Thus, the bakery would sell **450 loaves in 9 hours**.