A taxi charges a flat rate of $3.00, plus an additional $0.50 per mile. Carl will only take the taxi home if the cost is under $10, otherwise he will take a bus. Carl is 15 miles from home. Explain how to write and solve an inequality to determine if Carl will take the taxi or a bus.

Answer:

To determine if Carl will take the taxi, let x represent the number of miles. The inequality for the cost is 0.50x + 3 < 10. To solve, first subtract 3 from both sides of the inequality to get 0.50x < 7. Next, divide both sides by 0.50 to find that x < 14. This means Carl can only afford the taxi if the trip is less than 14 miles. Since Carl is 15 miles from home, he will take the bus.