A store offers packing and mailing services to customers. The cost of shipping a box is a combination of a flat packing fee of $5 and an amount based on the weight in pounds of the box, $2.25 per pound. Which equation represents the shipping cost as a function of x, the weight in pounds?

Question

f(x) = 2.25x + 5
f(x) = 5x + 2.25
f(x) = 2.25x − 5
f(x) = 5x − 2.25

Answer 1

The shipping cost consists of a flat packing fee of $5 plus a variable cost that is $2.25 for each pound of weight.

To express this as a function of \( x \), where \( x \) represents the weight in pounds, we can set up the equation as follows:

\[ \text{Shipping Cost} = \text{Flat Fee} + \text{Variable Cost} = 5 + 2.25x \]

This can be written in function notation as:

\[ f(x) = 2.25x + 5 \]

Therefore, the correct equation that represents the shipping cost as a function of \( x \) is:

f(x) = 2.25x + 5.