Question

3 aponi uses some allowance money to open a bank account. then she deposits the same amount into the account each week. the equation $y = 35x + 100$ represents the total amount in the account, $y$, after $x$ weeks. what does the initial value of the function represent?
a the amount deposited each week
b the amount used to open the bank account
c the total amount in the account after the first week of saving
d the total amount in the account after $x$ weeks
carmela chose a as the correct answer. how might she have gotten that answer?

Explanation:

For the first part: The equation is in slope-intercept form $y=mx+b$, where $b$ is the initial value (when $x=0$). When $x=0$ (0 weeks of deposits), $y=100$, which is the starting amount to open the account.
For the second part: The amount deposited each week is the slope ($m=35$) of the function. Carmela likely confused the slope (weekly deposit) with the initial value, so she selected the option for the weekly deposit.

Answer:

1. B. The amount used to open the bank account
2. Carmela confused the slope (the weekly deposit amount, 35) with the initial value of the function, so she chose the option describing the weekly deposit.