Directions: Complete each of the tasks outlined below.
Cab companies often charge a flat fee for picking someone up and then charge an
additional fee per mile driven. Pick a U.S. city and research the rates of two
different cab companies in that city. Find companies that charge different amounts
per mile and have different flat fees. If you have trouble finding this information
for two companies, you can make up what you think would be reasonable prices
for a cab's flat rate and a cab's rate per mile.
Task 1
a. For the first company, express in words the amount the cab company
charges per ride and per mile.
b. Write an equation in slope-intercept, point-slope, or standard form. Explain
why you chose the form you did.
c. What do the slope and y-intercept mean in the context of this problem?
Hint: What do you pay when you step into the cab?
a. For the first company, let's say the cab company charges a flat fee of $5 per ride and an additional fee of $2 per mile.
b. We can write the equation in slope-intercept form as y = mx + b, where y represents the total fare, x represents the number of miles driven, m represents the rate per mile, and b represents the flat fee. In this case, the equation would be y = 2x + 5.
c. In the context of this problem, the slope (m = 2) represents the additional cost per mile driven. For every additional mile, the fare increases by $2. The y-intercept (b = 5) represents the initial cost of the ride. When you step into the cab, you would need to pay the flat fee of $5.