A store sells notebooks for $3 each and does not charge sales tax. If x represents the number of notebooks Adele buys and y represents the total cost of the notebooks she buys, which best describes the values of x and y?

The value of x can be any real number, and y will be a real number.
The value of x can be any real number greater than or equal to 0, and y will be a real number greater than or equal to 0.
The value of x can be any integer, and y will be an integer.
The value of x can be any integer greater than or equal to 0, and y will be an integer greater than or equal to 0.

1 answer

Given that the store sells notebooks for $3 each and does not charge sales tax, we need to relate the number of notebooks (x) to the total cost (y). Here’s the analysis:

1. **Cost Calculation:**
The cost of notebooks is $3 per notebook. Therefore, the total cost \( y \) when Adele buys \( x \) notebooks can be expressed as:
\[
y = 3x
\]

2. **Possible Values for x:**
- The number of notebooks Adele buys (\( x \)) must be a whole number, as you can't buy a fraction of a notebook.
- Moreover, x should be non-negative because you can't buy a negative number of notebooks. Thus, \( x \) should be an integer greater than or equal to 0.

3. **Possible Values for y:**
- As \( x \) is multiplied by 3, and \( x \) can only be an integer, \( y \) will also be an integer.
- Since \( x \) is greater than or equal to 0, \( y \) (which is \( 3x \)) will also be greater than or equal to 0.

Based on this analysis, the values of \( x \) and \( y \) are best described as follows:
- The value of \( x \) can be any integer greater than or equal to 0.
- The value of \( y \) will be an integer greater than or equal to 0.

Thus, the correct description is:
- The value of \( x \) can be any integer greater than or equal to 0, and \( y \) will be an integer greater than or equal to 0.