Preston is going to the water slides and needs to figure out which deal is better. He can pay $30 to go on the water slides as much as he wants, or he can pay $12 to get in, plus an additional $2 per trip down the water slides. If Preston goes on a certain number of trips down the water slides, the two options are equivalent in terms of cost. How many trips is that? What is the cost?

1 answer

Let's say Preston goes on x trips down the water slides.

Option 1: Pay $30 to go on the water slides as much as he wants.
Option 2: Pay $12 to get in, plus an additional $2 per trip down the water slides.

For option 1, he pays $30 regardless of the number of trips he takes.

For option 2, he pays $12 to get in and $2 per trip. So the total cost for option 2 is 12 + 2x.

To find the number of trips where the two options are equivalent in terms of cost, we need to set up an equation:

30 = 12 + 2x

Subtracting 12 from both sides, we get:

18 = 2x

Dividing both sides by 2, we get:

9 = x

So, when Preston goes on 9 trips down the water slides, the costs for both options are equal.

The cost for option 1 is $30, regardless of the number of trips.

The cost for option 2 is 12 + 2(9) = 12 + 18 = $30 for 9 trips.