The problem describes a linear relationship between the number of employees and the number of months. The company starts with 2 employees, and the number of employees increases by 0.25 every month. Therefore, the equation is:
The initial number of employees is 2.
The rate of change is 8 2 = 0.25 .
The equation is in the form y = m x + b , where m is the rate of change and b is the initial number of employees.
The equation is y = 0.25 x + 2 .
Explanation
Problem Analysis Let's analyze the problem. We are given that a software company starts with 2 employees and adds 2 new employees every 8 months. We need to find the equation that represents the relationship between the number of employees y and the number of months x since the company started.
Initial Employees The company initially has 2 employees. This is the y-intercept of the equation, so the equation will be in the form y = m x + 2 , where m is the slope.
Rate of Change The company adds 2 employees every 8 months. This means the rate of change (slope) is 8 months 2 employees = 4 1 = 0.25 employees per month.
Equation Therefore, the equation that represents the relationship between the number of employees y and the number of months x is y = 0.25 x + 2 .
Examples
Imagine you are tracking the growth of a plant. You start with a plant that is 2 inches tall, and it grows 0.25 inches every month. The equation y = 0.25 x + 2 can help you predict the height of the plant ( y ) after a certain number of months ( x ). This type of linear equation is useful for modeling growth or decline over time in various real-world scenarios.
The equation that represents the relationship between the number of employees y and the number of months x since the company started is y = 0.25 x + 2 . This represents an initial 2 employees with an increase of 0.25 employees per month. Therefore, the correct answer is option C: y = 0.25 x + 2 .
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