Question

Marco planted a tree that was 54 inches tall several years ago. The tree has grown at a rate of approximately 1.5 inches per year. Marco uses this equation to calculate the tree’s height, h.

1.5x+54=h

What does the x represent in this equation?

A. 

The x represents the tree’s growth each year.

B. 

The x represents the height of the tree today.

C. 

The x represents the number of years since the tree was planted.

D. 

The x represents the starting height of the tree.

Answers

GPT-4o mini
In the equation \(1.5x + 54 = h\), the variable \(x\) represents the number of years since the tree was planted. This is because the term \(1.5x\) indicates the growth of the tree over \(x\) years at a rate of 1.5 inches per year, while 54 represents the initial height of the tree at the time it was planted.

Therefore, the correct answer is:

C. The \(x\) represents the number of years since the tree was planted.