A taxi cab company charges a flat fee of $3.50 and then an additional $2.20 for each mile. If a taxi fare is $34.30, how many miles was the trip?
To determine the number of miles for the trip, we need to subtract the flat fee from the total fare and then divide the result by the additional cost per mile.
Let's start by subtracting the flat fee from the total fare:
$34.30 - $3.50 = $30.80
Next, we divide the remaining amount by the cost per mile to find the number of miles:
$30.80 / $2.20 = 14
Therefore, the trip was 14 miles long.
To solve this problem, we can use algebraic expressions. Let's assume that the number of miles traveled on the trip is represented by the variable 'm'.
According to the given information, the taxi company charges a flat fee of $3.50, which means that the total cost of the trip is at least $3.50. In addition, for each mile traveled, an additional $2.20 is charged.
Therefore, we can create an equation to represent the total cost of the trip:
Total Cost = Flat Fee + (Additional Charge per Mile × Number of Miles)
$34.30 = $3.50 + ($2.20 × m)
Now, let's solve the equation to find the value of 'm' (the number of miles):
$34.30 - $3.50 = $2.20 × m
$30.80 = $2.20 × m
Divide both sides of the equation by $2.20:
m = $30.80 / $2.20
m ≈ 14
Therefore, the trip was approximately 14 miles.