Marco planted a tree that was 54 inches tall several years ago. The tree has grown at a rate of approximately 1.5 inches per year. Marco uses this equation to calculate the tree’s height, h

Question

.

1.5x+54=h
What does the x
represent in this equation?

Answer 1

In the equation \(1.5x + 54 = h\), the variable \(x\) represents the number of years that have passed since Marco originally planted the tree.

To clarify:

• \(h\) is the height of the tree after \(x\) years.
• The term \(1.5x\) accounts for the growth of the tree over those years, with the tree growing at a rate of 1.5 inches per year.
• The constant \(54\) represents the initial height of the tree when it was planted.

So, as \(x\) increases, it indicates how many years have gone by and how much the tree's height has increased from its initial height.