Section 2.

5 Applications of Linear Equations and Graphing 153

Applications of Linear Equations Section 2.5

and Graphing

1. Writing a Linear Model Concepts

Algebra is a tool used to model events that occur in physical and biological 1. Writing a Linear Model
sciences, sports, medicine, economics, business, and many other fields. The pur- 2. Interpreting a Linear Model
pose of modeling is to represent a relationship between two or more variables 3. Finding a Linear Model from
with an algebraic equation. Observed Data Points
For an equation written in slope-intercept form y 5 mx 1 b, the term mx is
the variable term, and the term b is the constant term. The value of the term mx
changes with the value of x (this is why the slope is called a rate of change). How-
ever, the term b remains constant regardless of the value of x. With these ideas
in mind, a linear equation can be created if the rate of change and the constant
are known.

Example 1 Finding a Linear Relationship

Buffalo, New York, had 2 ft (24 in.) of snow on the ground before a snow-
storm. During the storm, snow fell at an average rate of 85 in./hr.
a. Write a linear equation to compute the total snow depth y after x hours of
the storm.
b. Graph the equation.
c. Use the equation to compute the depth of snow after 8 hr.
d. If the snow depth was 31.5 in. at the end of the storm, determine how long
the storm lasted.

Solution:
a. The constant or base amount of snow before the storm began is 24 in. The
variable amount is given by 58 in. of snow per hour. If m is replaced by 85 and
b is replaced by 24, we have the linear equation
y 5 mx 1 b
5
y 5 x 1 24
8
b. The equation is in slope-intercept form, and the corresponding graph is
shown in Figure 2-27.

y Snow Depth Versus Time

40
35 y 5 58 x 1 24
Snow Depth (in.)

30
25 5 in.
20 8 hr
15
10
5
0 x
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (hr)
Figure 2-27
154 Chapter 2 Linear Equations in Two Variables

5
c. y 5 x 1 24
8

182 1 24
5
y5 Substitute x 5 8.
8
y 5 5 1 24 Solve for y.
y 5 29 in.
The snow depth was 29 in. after 8 hr. The corresponding ordered pair is
(8, 29) and can be confirmed from the graph.
5
d. y 5 x 1 24
8
5
31.5 5 x 1 24 Substitute y 5 31.5.
8

8131.52 5 8 a x 1 24b
5
Multiply by 8 to clear fractions.
8
252 5 5x 1 192 Clear parentheses.
60 5 5x Solve for x.
12 5 x
The storm lasted for 12 hr. The corresponding ordered pair is (12, 31.5)
and can be confirmed from the graph.

Skill Practice
1. When Joe graduated from college, he had $1000 in his savings account.
When he began working, he decided he would add $120 per month to his
savings account.
a. Write a linear equation to compute the amount of money y in Joes
account after x months of saving.
b. Use the equation to compute the amount of money in Joes account
after 6 months.
c. Joe needs $3160 for a down payment for a car. How long will it take for
Joes account to reach this amount?

2. Interpreting a Linear Model

Example 2 Interpreting a Linear Model
In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a bill enacting the Fair Labor
Standards Act of 1938 (FLSA). In its final form, the act banned oppressive
child labor and set the minimum hourly wage at 25 cents and the maximum
workweek at 44 hr. Over the years, the minimum hourly wage has been
increased by the government to meet the rising cost of living.
The minimum hourly wage y (in dollars per hour) in the United States
between 1960 and 2005 can be approximated by the equation
y 5 0.10x 1 0.82 x$0
Skill Practice Answers
1a. y 5 120x 1 1000
b. $1720 c. 18 months
 Section 2.5 Applications of Linear Equations and Graphing 155

Minimum Wage Earnings per Hour

y Versus Year
6

Minimum Wage ($/hr)

5
4
3 y 5 0.10x 1 0.82
2
1
0 x
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50
Year (x 5 0 corresponds to 1960)
Figure 2-28

where x represents the number of years since 1960 (x 5 0 corresponds to 1960,

x 5 1 corresponds to 1961, and so on) (Figure 2-28).
a. Find the slope of the line and interpret the meaning of the slope in the
context of this problem.
b. Find the y-intercept of the line and interpret the meaning of the
y-intercept in the context of this problem.
c. Use the linear equation to approximate the minimum wage in 1985.
d. Use the linear equation to predict the minimum wage in the year 2010.

Solution:
a. The equation y 5 0.10x 1 0.82 is written in slope-intercept form. The slope
is 0.10 and indicates that minimum hourly wage rose an average of $0.10
per year between 1960 and 2005.
b. The y-intercept is (0, 0.82). The y-intercept indicates that the minimum
wage in the year 1960 1x 5 02 was approximately $0.82 per hour. (The
actual value of minimum wage in 1960 was $1.00 per hour.)
c. The year 1985 is 25 years after the year 1960. Substitute x 5 25 into the
linear equation.
y 5 0.10x 1 0.82
y 5 0.101252 1 0.82 Substitute x 5 25.
y 5 2.50 1 0.82
y 5 3.32
According to the linear model, the minimum wage in 1985 was approximately
$3.32 per hour. (The actual minimum wage in 1985 was $3.35 per hour.)
d. The year 2010 is 50 years after the year 1960. Substitute x 5 50 into the
linear equation.
y 5 0.10x 1 0.82
y 5 0.101502 1 0.82 Substitute x 5 50.
y 5 5.82
According to the linear model, minimum wage in 2010 will be approximately
$5.82 per hour provided the linear trend continues. (How does this com-
pare with the current value for minimum wage?)
156 Chapter 2 Linear Equations in Two Variables

Skill Practice
2. The cost of long-distance service with a certain phone company is given by
the equation y 5 0.12x 1 6.95, where y represents the monthly cost in
dollars and x represents the number of minutes of long distance.
a. Find the slope of the line, and interpret the meaning of the slope in the
context of this problem.
b. Find the y-intercept and interpret the meaning of the y-intercept in the
context of this problem.
c. Use the equation to determine the cost of using 45 min of long-distance
service in a month.

3. Finding a Linear Model from Observed Data Points

Graphing a set of data points offers a visual method to determine whether the
points follow a linear pattern. If a linear trend exists, we say that there is a linear
correlation between the two variables. The better the points line up, the stronger
the correlation.*
When two variables are correlated, it is often desirable to find a mathemati-
cal equation (or model) to describe the relationship between the variables.

Example 3 Writing a Linear Model from Observed Data

Figure 2-29 represents the winning gold medal times for the womens 100-m
freestyle swimming event for selected summer Olympics. Let y represent the
winning time in seconds and let x represent the number of years since 1900
(x 5 0 corresponds to 1900, x 5 1 corresponds to 1901, and so on).

Women's 100-m Freestyle for Selected

y Olympics
80
70 (72, 58.6)
60 (24, 72.4)
Time (sec)

50
40
30
20
10
0 x
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 110
Year (x 5 0 corresponds to 1900)
Figure 2-29

In 1924, the winning time was 72.4 sec. This corresponds to the ordered pair
(24, 72.4). In 1972, the winning time was 58.6 sec, yielding the ordered pair
(72, 58.6).
Skill Practice Answers a. Use these ordered pairs to find a linear equation to model the winning
2a. The slope is 0.12. This means time versus the year.
that the monthly cost increases by
12 cents per minute. b. What is the slope of the line, and what does it mean in the context of this
b. The y-intercept is (0, 6.95). The problem?
cost of the long-distance service is
$6.95 if 0 min is used.
c. $12.35
*The strength of a linear correlation can be measured mathematically by using techniques
often covered in statistics courses.
 Section 2.5 Applications of Linear Equations and Graphing 157

c. Use the linear equation to approximate the winning time for the 1964
Olympics.
d. Would it be practical to use the linear model to predict the winning time
in the year 2048?

Solution:
a. The slope formula can be used to compute the slope of the line between
the two points. (Round the slope to 2 decimal places.)
(24, 72.4) and (72, 58.6)
1x1, y1 2 and 1x2, y2 2
y2 2 y1 58.6 2 72.4
m5 5 5 20.2875 Hence, m L 20.29.
x2 2 x1 72 2 24
y 2 y1 5 m1x 2 x1 2 Apply the point-slope formula,
using m 5 20.29 and the point
(24, 72.4).
y 2 72.4 5 20.291x 2 242
y 2 72.4 5 20.29x 1 6.96 Clear parentheses.
y 5 20.29x 1 6.96 1 72.4 Solve for y.
y 5 20.29x 1 79.36 The answer is in slope-intercept
form.
b. The slope is 20.29 and indicates that the winning time in the womens
100-m Olympic freestyle event has decreased on average by 0.29 sec/yr
during this period.
c. The year 1964 is 64 years after the year 1900. Substitute x 5 64 into the
linear model.
y 5 20.29x 1 79.36
y 5 20.291642 1 79.36 Substitute x 5 64.
y 5 218.56 1 79.36
y 5 60.8
According to the linear model, the winning time in 1964 was approxi-
mately 60.8 sec. (The actual winning time in 1964 was set by Dawn Fraser
from Australia in 59.5 sec. The linear equation can only be used to
approximate the winning time.)
d. It would not be practical to use the linear model y 5 20.29x 1 79.36 to
predict the winning time in the year 2048. There is no guarantee that the
linear trend will continue beyond the last observed data point in 2004. In
fact, the linear trend cannot continue indefinitely; otherwise, the swimmers
times would eventually be negative. The potential for error increases for
predictions made beyond the last observed data value.

Skill Practice
Cost of Textbook versus Number
3. The figure shows data relating the cost of college y of Pages
textbooks in dollars to the number of pages in 120
(400, 107)
100
the book. Let y represent the cost of the book,
Cost ($)

80
(200, 57)
and let x represent the number of pages. 60
40
a. Use the ordered pairs indicated in the figure 20
to write a linear equation to model the cost of 0
0 100 200 300 400
x
500 Skill Practice Answers
textbooks versus the number of pages. Number of Pages 3a. y 5 0.25x 1 7
b. $97
b.
158 Chapter 2 Linear Equations in Two Variables

Section 2.5 Practice Exercises

Boost your GRADE at Practice Problems e-Professors
mathzone.com! Self-Tests Videos
NetTutor

Study Skills Exercise

1. On test day, take a look at any formulas or important points that you had to memorize before you enter the
classroom. Then when you sit down to take your test, write these formulas on the test or on scrap paper. This is
called a memory dump. Write down the formulas from Chapter 2.

Review Exercises
For Exercises 25,
a. Find the slope (if possible) of the line passing through the two points.
b. Find an equation of the line passing through the two points. Write the answer in slope-intercept form (if
possible) and in standard form.
c. Graph the line by using the slope and y-intercept. Verify that the line passes through the two given points.

2. 123, 02 and 13, 222 3. 11, 212 and 13, 252

y y
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
x x
25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5 25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5
21 21
22 22
23 23
24 24
25 25

4. 124, 32 and 122, 32 5. 122, 42 and 122, 02

y y
5 5
4 4
3 3
2 2
1 1
x x
25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5 25 24 23 22 21 1 2 3 4 5
21 21
22 22
23 23
24 24
25 25

Concept 1: Writing a Linear Model

6. A car rental company charges a flat fee of $19.95 plus $0.20 per mile.
a. Write an equation that expresses the cost y of renting a car if the car is driven for x miles.
 Section 2.5 Applications of Linear Equations and Graphing 159

y
b. Graph the equation. 60
50
40

Cost ($)
30
20
10
x
20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160 180 200
Miles

c. What is the y-intercept and what does it mean in the context of this problem?
d. Using the equation from part (a), find the cost of driving the rental car 50, 100, and 200 mi.
e. Find the total cost of driving the rental car 100 mi if the sales tax is 6%.
f. Is it reasonable to use negative values for x in the equation? Why or why not?

7. Alex is a sales representative and earns a base salary of $1000 per month plus a 4% commission on his
sales for the month.
a. Write a linear equation that expresses Alexs monthly salary y in terms of his sales x.
y
b. Graph the equation. 3000
2500
Salary ($)

2000
1500
1000
500
x
10,000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000
Sales ($)

c. What is the y-intercept and what does it represent in the context of this problem?
d. What is the slope of the line and what does it represent in the context of this problem?
e. How much will Alex make if his sales for a given month are $30,000?

8. Ava recently purchased a home in Crescent Beach, Florida. Her property taxes
for the first year are $2742. Ava estimates that her taxes will increase at a rate
of $52 per year.
a. Write an equation to compute Avas yearly property taxes. Let y be the
amount she pays in taxes, and let x be the time in years.
b. Graph the line. y
4000
3500
3000
Taxes ($)

2500
2000
1500
1000
500
x
2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20
Time (Years)

c. What is the slope of this line? What does the slope of the line represent in the context of this problem?
d. What is the y-intercept? What does the y-intercept represent in the context of this problem?
e. What will Avas yearly property tax be in 10 years? In 15 years?
160 Chapter 2 Linear Equations in Two Variables

9. Luigi Luna has started a chain of Italian restaurants called Luna Italiano. He has 19 restaurants in various
locations in the northeast United States and Canada. He plans to open five new restaurants per year.
a. Write a linear equation to express the number of restaurants, y, Luigi opens in terms of the time in years, x.

b. How many restaurants will he have in 4 years?

c. How many years will it take him to have 100 restaurants?

Concept 2: Interpreting a Linear Model

10. Sound travels at approximately one-fifth of a mile per second.
Therefore, for every 5-sec difference between seeing lightning and
hearing thunder, we can estimate that a storm is approximately 1 mi
away. Let y represent the distance (in miles) that a storm is from an
observer. Let x represent the difference in time between seeing
lightning and hearing thunder. Then the distance of the storm can be
approximated by the equation y 5 0.2x, where x $ 0.
a. Use the linear model provided to determine how far away a storm
is for the following differences in time between seeing lightning
and hearing thunder: 4 sec, 12 sec, and 16 sec.
b. If a storm is 4.2 mi away, how many seconds will pass between seeing lightning and hearing thunder?

11. The force y (in pounds) required to stretch a particular spring x inches beyond its rest (or equilibrium)
position is given by the equation y 5 2.5x, where 0 # x # 20.
a. Use the equation to determine the amount of force necessary to stretch the spring 6 in. from its rest
position. How much force is necessary to stretch the spring twice as far?
b. If 45 lb of force is exerted on the spring, how far will the spring be stretched?
12. The figure represents the median cost of new privately owned, one-family houses sold in the midwest from
1980 to 2005.
Median Cost of New One-Family Houses
y Sold in the Midwest, 19802005
250
y 5 5.3x 1 63.4
200
Price ($1000)

150
100
50

0 x
0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Year (x 5 0 corresponds to 1980)
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census and U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Let y represent the median cost of a new privately owned, one-family house sold in the midwest. Let x
represent the year, where x 5 0 corresponds to the year 1980, x 5 1 represents 1981, and so on. Then the
median cost of new privately owned, one-family houses sold in the midwest can be approximated by the
equation y 5 5.3x 1 63.4, where 0 # x # 25.
a. Use the linear equation to approximate the median cost of new privately owned, one-family houses in the
midwest for the year 2005.
 Section 2.5 Applications of Linear Equations and Graphing 161

b. Use the linear equation to approximate the median cost for the year 1988, and compare it with the actual
median cost of $101,600.
c. What is the slope of the line and what does it mean in the context of this problem?
d. What is the y-intercept and what does it mean in the context of this problem?

13. Let y represent the average number of miles driven per year Average Yearly Mileage for Passenger
for passenger cars in the United States between 1980 and y Cars, United States, 19802005
2005. Let x represent the year where x 5 0 corresponds to 14,000
12,000
1980, x 5 1 corresponds to 1981, and so on. The average

Miles Driven
10,000
yearly mileage for passenger cars can be approximated by y 5 142x 1 9060
8,000
the equation y 5 142x 1 9060, where 0 # x # 25. 6,000
4,000
a. Use the linear equation to approximate the average 2,000
yearly mileage for passenger cars in the United States in 0 x
the year 2005. 0 5 10 15 20 25
Year (x 5 0 corresponds to 1980)
b. Use the linear equation to approximate the average
mileage for the year 1985, and compare it with the actual value of 9700 mi.
c. What is the slope of the line and what does it mean in the context of this problem?
d. What is the y-intercept and what does it mean in the context of this problem?

Concept 3: Finding a Linear Model from Observed Data Points

14. The figure represents the winning heights for mens pole vault in selected Olympic games.

Winning Pole Vault Height for Selected

y Olympic Games
8
(96, 5.92)
6
Height (m)

(0, 3.3)
4

0 x
0 20 40 60 80 100 120
Year (x 5 0 corresponds to 1900)

a. Let y represent the winning height. Let x represent the year, where x 5 0 corresponds to the year 1900,
x 5 4 represents 1904, and so on. Use the ordered pairs given in the graph (0, 3.3) and (96, 5.92) to find a
linear equation to estimate the winning pole vault height versus the year. (Round the slope to three
decimal places.)
b. Use the linear equation from part (a) to approximate the winning vault for the 1920 Olympics.
c. Use the linear equation to approximate the winning vault for 1976.
d. The actual winning vault in 1920 was 4.09 m, and the actual winning vault in 1976 was 5.5 m. Are your
answers from parts (b) and (c) different from these? Why?
e. What is the slope of the line? What does the slope of the line mean in the context of this problem?
162 Chapter 2 Linear Equations in Two Variables

15. The figure represents the winning time for the mens 100-m freestyle swimming event for selected Olympic
games.

Winning Times for Men's 100-m Freestyle

y Swimming for Selected Olympics
60
50
(0, 57.3)
Time (sec)
40
(48, 48.7)
30
20
10
0 x
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Year (x 5 0 corresponds to 1948)

a. Let y represent the winning time. Let x represent the number of years since 1948 (where x 5 0
corresponds to the year 1948, x 5 4 represents 1952, and so on). Use the ordered pairs given in the graph
(0, 57.3) and (48, 48.7) to find a linear equation to estimate the winning time for the mens 100-m
freestyle versus the year. (Round the slope to 2 decimal places.)
b. Use the linear equation from part (a) to approximate the winning 100-m time for the year 1972, and
compare it with the actual winning time of 51.2 sec.
c. Use the linear equation to approximate the winning time for the year 1988.
d. What is the slope of the line and what does it mean in the context of this problem?
e. Interpret the meaning of the x-intercept of this line in the context of this problem. Explain why the mens
swimming times will never reach the x-intercept. Do you think this linear trend will continue for the
next 50 years, or will the mens swimming times begin to level off at some time in the future? Explain
your answer.

16. At a high school football game in Miami, hot dogs were sold for $1.00 each. At the end of the night, it was
determined that 650 hot dogs were sold. The following week, the price of hot dogs was raised to $1.50, and
this resulted in fewer sales. Only 475 hot dogs were sold.
a. Make a graph with the price of hot dogs on the x-axis and the corresponding sales on the y-axis. Graph
the points (1.00, 650) and (1.50, 475), using suitable scaling on the x- and y-axes.
y
1000
Number of Hot Dogs Sold

900
800
700
600
500
400
300
200
100
x
0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00
Price of Hot Dogs ($)

b. Find an equation of the line through the given points. Write the equation in slope-intercept form.
c. Use the equation from part (b) to predict the number of hot dogs that would sell if the price were
changed to $1.70 per hot dog.

17. At a high school football game, soft drinks were sold for $0.50 each. At the end of the night, it was
determined that 1020 drinks were sold. The following week, the price of drinks was raised to $0.75, and this
resulted in fewer sales. Only 820 drinks were sold.
a. Make a graph with the price of drinks on the x-axis and the corresponding sales per night on the y-axis.
Graph the points (0.50, 1020) and (0.75, 820), using suitable scaling on the x- and y-axes.
 Section 2.5 Applications of Linear Equations and Graphing 163

y
1600

Number of Drinks Sold

1400
1200
1000
800
600
400
200
x
0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00
Price of Drinks ($)

b. Find an equation of the line through the given points. Write the equation in slope-intercept form.
c. Use the equation from part (b) to predict the number of drinks that would sell if the price were changed
to $0.85 per drink.

Expanding Your Skills

18. Loraine is enrolled in an algebra class that meets 5 days per
week. Her instructor gives a test every Friday. Loraine has a Time Studied per Day Weekly Test Grade
(min) (percent)
study plan and keeps a portfolio with notes, homework, test
x y
corrections, and vocabulary. She also records the amount of
time per day that she studies and does homework. The 60 69
following data represent the amount of time she studied per 70 74
day and her weekly test grades. 80 79
a. Graph the points on a rectangular coordinate system. Do 90 84
the data points appear to follow a linear trend? 100 89

y
90
80
70
Test Score (%)

60
50
40
30
20
10
x
10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Minutes

b. Find a linear equation that relates Loraines weekly test score y to the amount of time she studied per
day x. (Hint: Pick two ordered pairs from the observed data, and find an equation of the line through the
points.)
c. How many minutes should Loraine study per day in order to score at least 90% on her weekly
examination? Would the equation used to determine the time Loraine needs to study to get 90% work
for other students? Why or why not?
d. If Loraine is only able to spend 21 hr/day studying her math, predict her test score for that week.

Points are collinear if they lie on the same line. For Exercises 1922, use the slope formula to determine if the
points are collinear.
19. 13, 242 10, 252 19, 222 20. 14, 32 124, 212 12, 22

21. 10, 22 122, 122 121, 62 22. 122, 222 10, 232 124, 212
164 Chapter 2 Linear Equations in Two Variables

Graphing Calculator Exercises

23. Use a Table feature to confirm your answers to 24. Use a Table feature to confirm your answers to
Exercise 11. Exercise 10(a).

25. Graph the line y 5 2800x 1 1420 on the viewing window defined by 0 # x # 1 and 0 # y # 1600. Use
the Trace key to support your answer to Exercise 17 by showing that the line passes through the points
(0.50, 1020) and (0.75, 820).

26. Graph the line y 5 2350x 1 1000 on the viewing window defined by 0 # x # 2 and 0 # y # 1000. Use
the Trace key to support your answer to Exercise 16 by showing that the line passes through the points
(1.00, 650) and (1.50, 475).