To determine the correct equation that represents the amount of money Chelsea earns in one day (A) after taking W walks with the dogs, we need to analyze the components of her earnings:
- Chelsea charges $12 for the day.
- For each walk, she charges an additional $2.50.
The total amount Chelsea earns can be represented as:
Total Earnings = Fixed Daily Charge + Charge for Walks
This can be formulated as:
\[ A = 12 + 2.5W \]
Where:
- A is the total amount of money Chelsea earns in one day.
- W is the number of walks she takes.
Comparing this with the provided equations:
- A = 2.5W + 12 (Correct: This directly matches our formulation)
- A = 2.5 + 12W (Incorrect: This implies $2.50 is constant and $12 is multiplied by the number of walks)
- A = (12 + 2.5)W (Incorrect: This implies that she earns the combined $14.50 for each walk)
- A = 12 - 2.5W (Incorrect: This suggests that her earnings decrease with the number of walks)
Therefore, the correct equation that represents Chelsea's earnings is:
A = 2.5W + 12
The graph representing this equation would be a straight line with a y-intercept of 12, rising with a slope of 2.5.