8. KAYAK The cost \( y \) (in dollars) to rent a kayak is proportional to the number \( x \) of hours that you rent the kayak. It costs \( \$ 27 \) to rent the kayak for 3 hours. a. Write an equation that represents the situation. b. Interpret the slope. c. How much does it cost to rent the kayak for 5 hours?
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To begin, we can establish that the cost \( y \) is proportional to the number of hours \( x \), which allows us to express this relationship with the equation: \[ y = kx \] To find the constant \( k \), we can use the information provided: It costs \( 27 \) dollars for \( 3 \) hours. Thus, \( k = \frac{y}{x} = \frac{27}{3} = 9 \). This gives us the final equation: \[ y = 9x \] The slope \( k \) represents the cost per hour to rent the kayak. In this case, the slope is \( 9 \), meaning it costs \( 9 \) dollars for each hour you rent the kayak. This is a straightforward way to visualize how cost increases with time. To find the cost to rent the kayak for \( 5 \) hours, we simply apply our equation: \[ y = 9 \times 5 = 45 \] Therefore, renting the kayak for \( 5 \) hours will cost you \( 45 \) dollars.