At a deli counter in the supermarket, Nigel paid $10 for 2 1/2 pounds of roast beef. The cost of deli meat is proportional to its weight. What is the equation for the graph of this proportional relationship?

Answer 1

Let's assume that the cost of deli meat is denoted by C and the weight of the deli meat is denoted by W.

We know that the cost of deli meat is proportional to its weight, so we can write this as:

C = kW

Where k is the proportionality constant.

From the information given, we know that Nigel paid $10 for 2 1/2 pounds of roast beef. This means that when W = 2 1/2, C = 10.

Plugging these values into the equation, we get:

10 = k(2 1/2)

To simplify this equation, we convert 2 1/2 to a mixed number or improper fraction:

2 1/2 = 5/2

10 = k(5/2)

To isolate k, we divide both sides of the equation by 5/2:

10 / (5/2) = k

Simplifying the right side of the equation, we get:

10 * (2/5) = k

4 = k

Therefore, the equation for the graph of this proportional relationship is:

C = 4W