2. Westfield Junior High is attending a field trip to the planetarium. Students must be placed into groups of 15 and the planetarium can only accept up to 18 groups per day. How many students can attend the planetarium field trip each day? a. What does the variable represent?

The variable here represents the total number of students that can attend the planetarium field trip in one day. Since each group consists of 15 students and there can be a maximum of 18 groups, the calculation is straightforward: 15 students multiplied by 18 groups gives us the total number of students. To find the final number of students allowed, you'll multiply the number of groups by the number of students per group, so in this case, it’s 15 students x 18 groups = 270 students. How exciting to think about that many classmates exploring the wonders of the universe together!