Question

Last year, Alayah ordered 4 cubic yards of soil and spent $220. This year, she orders 7 cubic yards of soil and spends $340. Write the equation of the linear function that models the relationship between the number of cubic yards of soil ordered and the total cost. Enter your answer in y=mx+b form.

1 answer

To find the linear function that models the relationship between the number of cubic yards of soil ordered (x) and the total cost (y), we can use the two data points provided:

(4, 220) and (7, 340)

First, let's find the slope (m) using the formula:
m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)
m = (340 - 220) / (7 - 4)
m = 120 / 3
m = 40

Next, we can use one of the points to find the y-intercept (b). Let's use the point (4, 220):
220 = 40(4) + b
220 = 160 + b
b = 220 - 160
b = 60

Therefore, the linear function is:
y = 40x + 60.