To find the equation that models the relationship between the number of credits and fees, we need to identify the variables in the data given. In this case, the number of credits (n) is the independent variable, and the fees (F) are the dependent variable.
a) To write an equation to calculate the fees (F) when the number of credits (n) is given, we need to determine the relationship between these two variables. Notice that as the number of credits increases, the fees also increase. Additionally, the increase in fees is not a constant amount. From the data, we can observe that as the number of credits increases by 3, the fees increase by 600.
We can use this information to build an equation. Let's assume that the initial fee for 3 credits is $2000. The additional fee for each extra credit is $200 (600 divided by 3). So, the equation can be written as:
F = 2000 + 200(n - 3)
b) To calculate the fee for 17 credits using the equation above, we substitute n = 17 into the equation:
F = 2000 + 200(17 - 3)
F = 2000 + 200(14)
F = 2000 + 2800
F = 4800
Therefore, the fee for 17 credits would be $4800.