Kylie borrowed a book from a library. The library charged a fixed rental for the book and a late fee for every day the book was overdue. The expression below shows the charges Kylie paid for the book when she returned it x days after the due date.

2 + 0.25x
What does the constant term of the expression represent?
a.The late fee for the book
b.The fixed rental for the book
c.The number of books borrowed
d.The number of days the book was overdue

Question

Kylie borrowed a book from a library. The library charged a fixed rental for the book and a late fee for every day the book was overdue. The expression below shows the charges Kylie paid for the book when she returned it x days after the due date.

2 + 0.25x
What does the constant term of the expression represent? 
a.The late fee for the book 
b.The fixed rental for the book 
c.The number of books borrowed 
d.The number of days the book was overdue

anonymous · Answer

@e.mccormick help please

e.mccormick · Answer

Do you know the definition of constant term?

anonymous · Answer

not really

e.mccormick · Answer

OK.  In any formula like this there are terms with constants, variables, or both.  If there is a constant and a variable together, it is called the coefficient.  

So in $3x^2+x+2$ 3 is a coefficient to $x^2$, x is a variable by itself, and 2 is the constant term.

anonymous · Answer

okay so it would be The number of days the book was overdue

e.mccormick · Answer

x days is a variable.  The constant is the number that is alone.

e.mccormick · Answer

Another thing to remember:  In English, the word constant means unchanging or always the same.  That is why they use it for this in math.  As opposed to variable, which means it changes.

anonymous · Answer

The number of books borrowed

e.mccormick · Answer

Closer.  However, the problem says a book.  So she only borrowed one, not two.  Now, that IS a constant number!  Just not the correct one.

anonymous · Answer

The late fee for the book

e.mccormick · Answer

Well, the late fee is per day... so the late fee is going to be attached to a variable.

anonymous · Answer

SO I am right

e.mccormick · Answer

No, the late fee is a coefficent and not a constant.

anonymous · Answer

okay it was  The fixed rental for the book

anonymous · Answer

@e.mccormick

e.mccormick · Answer

$2 \leftarrow$ base cost/fixed rental of a book
$+ \leftarrow$ plus
$0.25 \leftarrow$ the late fee times
$x \leftarrow$ the variable for the days late.

Yah.

e.mccormick · Answer

Another thing like this would be a cell phone charge.  You pay for the base minutes, then for every minute you go over in a month you pay an added fee.  There are lots, and lots of examples like this in real life.  =)

anonymous · Answer

thanks :)

e.mccormick · Answer

np.  Have fun!