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| Question 75285:  Business and finance.  The cost for a long-distance telephone call is $.036 for the first minute and $0.21 for each additional minute or portion thereof.  Write an inequality representing the number of minutes a person could talk without exceeding $3.
 Please help I cannot figure this one out.  Here is my inequality so far 36+21+x>3
 Answer by ptaylor(2198)
      (Show Source): 
You can put this solution on YOUR website! THE EQUALITY SIGN MUST BE A <= SIGN BECAUSE WE ARE TOLD THAT THE COST CAN'T EXCEED $3.00.  AT LEAST YOU GAVE IT A SHOT BUT I'M NOT SURE THAT I CAN FOLLOW WHAT YOU DID.  SEE WHAT YOU THINK ABOUT MY APPROACH:
 FIRST, I'M ASSUMING YOU MEANT $0.36 AND NOT $0.036
 Anyway, let's deal in pennies to make life more simple
 Let x=number of minutes a person can talk without exceeding 300 (pennies)
 First minute cost=36 cents
 additional minutes cost 21 cents per minute
 So our equation is:
 36+21(x-1)<= 300 ----------------this is what I get (Note that I subtracted out the first minute)
 36+21x-21 <=300
 21x+15 <=300 subtract 15 from both sides
 21x+15-15 <=300-15 collect like terms
 21x <=285  divide both sides by 21
 x<=13.5714 or 13 minutes (We can't round up because x is LESS THAN OR EQUAL TO 13.5714).  Also, if you try 14, you will find that it breaks the bank.
 ck
 36 +12*21<=300
 36+252<=300
 288 <= 300  another minute would cost 21 cents--no can do!
 
 Hope this helps----ptaylor
 
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