Exercise 56

An affine function \( y = y(x) \) takes the value \( 81.5 \) when \( x = 13 \), and the value \( 96.7 \) when \( x = 20.6 \). What is the correspondence rule?

  1. \( y = 0.5x + 75 \)

  2. \( y = 2x + 55.5 \)

  3. \( y = 0.5x + 55 \)

  4. \( y = 2x + 75 \)

  5. \( y = 0.5x + 81.5 \)

Try to solve it before checking the answer.
  1. \( y = 2x + 55.5 \)

An affine function has the following form:

\[ \boldsymbol{(1)} \hspace{2em} y = ax + b \]

Replacing the values of \( x = 13 \) and \( y = 81.5 \), and the values of \( x = 20.6 \) and \( y = 96.7 \), into equation (1), we obtain the system:

\[ \begin{aligned} &\boldsymbol{(2)} \hspace{2em} 81.5 = 13a + b \\[1em] &\boldsymbol{(3)} \hspace{2em} 96.7 = 20.6 a + b \end{aligned} \]

subtracting \((2)\) from \((3)\): \[ 15.2 = 7.6a \Rightarrow a = \frac{15.2}{7.6} = \boldsymbol{2} \]

Replacing \( a=2 \) in the equation (2):

\[ 81.5 = 13(2) + b \Rightarrow b = 55.5 \]

Hence,

\[ \boldsymbol{ y = 2x + 55.5 } \]