A 50 gallon barrel plumb full of water springs a leak in the bottom and leaks at a constant rate of two gallons per minute. Write an equation that relates the amount of water left in the barrel, y in terms of how many minutes have passed since the leak began, x.

y = 50-2x

To write an equation that relates the amount of water left in the barrel (y) in terms of the number of minutes that have passed since the leak began (x), we need to consider that the barrel initially contains 50 gallons of water and is leaking at a rate of 2 gallons per minute.

Since the barrel is leaking at a constant rate of 2 gallons per minute, the amount of water left in the barrel after x minutes can be expressed as:

y = 50 - 2x

Here's how to interpret the equation:
- The initial amount of water in the barrel is 50 gallons (the constant term).
- The amount of water lost per minute is 2 gallons (the coefficient of x).
- To find the amount of water left in the barrel after x minutes, we subtract the amount of water lost (2x) from the initial amount (50).

Therefore, the equation that relates the amount of water left in the barrel (y) to the number of minutes that have passed since the leak began (x) is y = 50 - 2x.