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?
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.