Problema Solution

Molly is supposed to call her friend every Thursday night. Sometimes they have a lot to talk about, other times not so much. There are two phone companies she can use: TCC charges $0.10 per minute (no matter how long the call). UFC charges $0.50 for the first minute plus $0.08 for every minute thereafter. How many minutes can Molly talk to be charged the same amount by either phone company?

Answer provided by our tutors

we will assume that the number of calls is 1 and 'x' represents the number of minutes


TCC charges $0.10 per minute


for x minutes TTC will charge: 0.10x


UFC charges $0.50 for the first minute plus $0.08 for every minute thereafter


for x minutes UFC will charge: 0.50 + 0.08(x - 1)


since we want to find x such that the same amount is charged by either company we have:


0.10x = 0.50 + 0.08(x - 1)


by solving we find:


x = 21 min


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for a 21 minute phone call Molly will be charged the same amount by either phone company.