sandy wrote:
The price of a phone call consists of a standard connection fee, which is constant, plus a per minute charge. A 10-minute call costs $2.90 and a 16-minute call costs $4.40. How much does a 13-minute call cost?
(A) $3.55
(B) $3.57
(C) $3.58
(D) $3.65
(E) $3.77
Letting f = the standard connection fee and n = the per-minute charge, we can create two equations, one for the 10-minute call and one for the 16-minute call::
f + 10n = 2.90
and
f + 16n = 4.40
Subtracting the first equation from the second, we have:
6n = 1.50
n = 0.25 (This is the per-minute charge)
Substituting 0.25 for n into the first equation, we see that f is:
f + 2.5 = 2.90
f = 0.4 (This is the fixed fee)
So a 13-minute call costs 0.4 + 13 x 0.25 = $3.65.
Answer: D