8. An interior designer charges customers an initial consultation fee plus an hourly rate. The table shows the linear relationship between x, the number of hours, and y, the total cost of hiring the designer.

Find the rate of change.

0

125

2

235

HOURS

TOTAL COST ($)

8

565

15

950

*

What does the rate of change represent in the context of the situation?

Maneuvering the Middle LLC, 2016

The rate of change in this situation represents the hourly rate that the interior designer charges. It is the amount that the total cost increases for each additional hour of consultation.