Question

Please please help!! I give medals!!
A school is ordering pencils for its students. The principal estimates that each student will use 30 pencils in one school year. The function y = 30x describes the total number of pencils, y, that the principal should order for x students. Which set of terms best describes the function y = 30x in this scenario?

discrete and linear

discrete and non-linear

continuous and linear

continuous and non-linear

Answer 1

y = 30x is a linear equation.
The exponent of x is 1 and therefore it is a linear equation.

But pencils are discrete. You can order 3 pencils, 5 pencils, etc. but not fractional pencils or decimal pencils such as 2/3 pencil or 5.83 pencils. Therefore, the number of pencils is not continuous. It is discrete.

So discrete and linear is the answer.

Answer 2

Thanks!

Answer 3

You are welcome.

PS: The number of students is also discrete. You cannot have fractional students or decimal students either. So both the number of students and the number of pencils are discrete.