Math Problem of the Week - Algebra and Up - Oct. 24, 2021 to Oct. 30, 2021

Algebra and Up: 

Question: It costs $20.00 to rent a jet ski, plus $1.50 for each hour of use, plus the cost of gas. James rents a jet ski for 2 hours. He uses 3 quarts of gas, which costs $2.98 per gallon. How much did the jet ski rental cost altogether?

Answer: $25.24

Solution: To find the price of the rentals, we can use the expression C = $20.00 + $1.50t + $2.98g wherein C is the total cost of the rental, t is the number of hours spent with the jet skis, and g is the gallons of gas used. James rented 1 jet ski for 2 hours and used 0.75 gallons of gas, so he spent $20.00 + $1.50 × 2 + $2.98 × 0.75 = $25.24 after rounding.