Question

The weight, w, in tons of a school bus is related linearly to its seating capacity, p. A 60-passenger bus weighs 10 tons, and an 84-passenger school bus weighs 13 tons. Which equation can be used to find the weight of a 50-passenger bus?
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Answer 1

Find the slope: (13 − 10)/(84 − 60) = 3/24 = 1/8.
So w = (1/8)p + b. Use (60,10): 10 = (1/8)(60) + b → b = 2.5.

Equation: w = (1/8)p + 2.5.

For p = 50: w = (1/8)(50) + 2.5 = 8.75 tons.