The Gordon family plans to buy a TV. One TV has a purchase price of $330 and an estimated yearly operating cost of $14. The other has a purchase price of $369 and an estimated yearly operating cost of $9. Which TV should the Gordons buy if they plan to keep it for 8 years? Use rational functions to help justify your answer.

Answer:

rational functions that model the average annual cost of each television if it is owned for x years, such as f(x)= (330+14x)/x and g(x)= (369+9x)/x calculation proving that over 8 years, the annual cost for the $330 television is $55.25; for the $369 television, it is $55.13 statement that the Gordons should buy the $369 television because it is less expensive overall