Interpreting nonlinear expressions

1. Ben Frank is an electrician who installs lighting fixtures. He

charges (in dollars) his clients15h+40f where h is the number of
hours worked and f is the number of fixtures installed.
How much does Ben Frank charge when he works 7 hours and
installs 9 fixtures?
Correct answer: $ 465

level:1

2. The expression for the surface area of a cube of side

length s is 6s2.
What is the surface area of a cube with side length
Correct answer: 27/2 square units

3. Eric

owns

and

operates

the

3
2

units?

level:1

Hot

Ham

food

truck.

The

expression 3.25b+2h gives the cost bburgers and h hot dogs.

What is the cost of 4 burgers and 6 hot dogs?
Correct answer: $ 25

level:1

4. The expression 12g gives the number of kilometers a car can

travel using g liters of gasoline.
How far can this car travel on 5

1
2

liters of gasoline?

Correct answer: 66 km level:1

5. The price of a visit to the dentist is calculated according to the

formula 50+100n where n is the number of cavities the dentist
finds.
On your last visit to the dentist, 2 cavities were found.
What was the cost of your visit?

Correct answer: $ 250

level:1

6. sh c ( q )=2q +155 q +2,000

A company manufactures bookcases. The function above gives
the cost, C(q), in dollars, of producing

bookcases. What is

the fixed cost of production before any bookcases are produced?

Correct answer: 2000

level:2

7. The following equation shows the height, h, in meters above the

ground of a football t seconds after a particular kick.
h=0.3+5.5 t4.9 t 2
What was the height of the football at the moment of the kick?
Correct answer: 0.3 meters

8.

level:2

B ( n )=2

A binary code word of length n is a string of 0's and 1's

with n digits. For example, 1001 is a binary code word of
length 4. The number of binary code words, B(n), of length n, is
shown above. If the length is increased from n to n+1, how many
more binary code words will there be?
A. 2
B.

2n

C.

2n+1

D.

4n

Correct answer: B

9.

F ( t )=1,500 ( 1.045 )

level: 2

The future value, F(t), of an investment after t years is given by

the function defined above. What is the initial value of the
investment?
Correct answer: 1500
level: 2

10. R ( q ) =0.31 ( q260 )2 +18,500

A shoe manufacturer determines that its monthly revenue, R(q),
in dollars, is given by the function defined above, where q is the
number of pairs of shoes sold each month. What is the maximum
value of the company's monthly revenue?
Correct answer: 18500 level: 2

11.

P=$ 150

1
1.03
0.03

10

( )

The equation above gives the present value, P, of an investment

that pays the investor $150per year for 1010 years. The present
value is the dollar amount that is equal to the series of future
payments. If the payments are changed from $150 to $75, what is
the effect on the present value P?
A. the present value stays the same
B. the present value is halved
C. the present value doubles
D. the present value increases by 3%
Correct Answer: B level: 2

12. P ( q )=0.01(q250)(q80)
The equation above gives the profit, P(q), in dollars, earned by a
cupcake bakery when q cupcakes are produced. What is the best
interpretation of the number 8080 in this context?
A. 80 is a number of cupcakes for which the profit is equal to $0.
B. 80 is the number of cupcakes that corresponds to the maximu
profit.
C. 80 is the number of cupcakes that corresponds to the
minimum profit.
D. $80 is the maximum profit, in dollars.
Correct Answer: A level: 2
13. m=0.031x20.09x+181.5
Mehmet experimented with the number of grams (g) of sugar that
would dissolve in a specific volume of water at different
temperatures. He modeled his results using the above equation to
represent the number of grams, m, of sugar that dissolved when the

water was x degrees Celsius (C). What is the best interpretation of

the 181.5 in Mehmet's equation?
A. In his experiment, a maximum of 181.5g of sugar dissolved in the
water.
B. In his experiment, 0g of sugar dissolved when the water
temperature was 181.5C.
C. In
his
experiment,
when
the
water
temperature
was 0C, 181.5g of sugar dissolved.
D. In his experiment, the maximum number of grams of sugar
dissolved when the water temperature was 181.5C.
Correct Answer: C level: 2
72
r
The Rule of 72 estimates the time, T(r), in years, needed for an
investment to double when the annual interest rate is r%, as shown
in the function above. Which of the following is the best description
of the number 72 in this context?
A. 72 is the time needed for any investment to double.
B. 72 is the number of years needed for an investment to double
when the annual interest rate is 1%.
C. 72 is the maximum number of years it can take for an investment
to double.
D. 72 is the number of years needed for an investment to double
when the annual interest rate is 2%.
Correct Answer: B level: 3
14. T(r)=

1
(x25)2+625
4
The area, A(x), of a rectangular enclosure that can be made from a
limited amount of fencing is shown above, where x is the length of
one of the sides of the enclosure, measured in feet. What is the
maximum area that can be enclosed?
Correct Answer: 625 sq ft
level: 3
15. A(x)=

16. Wilma created the following formula to model the distance, d, in

inches above the floor of her jump after t seconds had passed.
d=144t(0.5t)
What is the best interpretation of the number 0.5 in this equation?
A. Wilma jumped from an initial height of 0.5 inches.
B. Wilma landed on the ground 0.5 seconds after she jumped.
C. Wilma jumped with an initial velocity of 0.5 inches per second.
D. Wilma's jump reached a maximum distance of 0.5 inches above
the floor.
Correct Answer: B level: 3

17. P(t)=25 (2)1.06

The number of yeast cells, P(t), in a culture after t days is modeled
by the equation shown above. After how many days will the
population double in size? Round the answer to the nearest tenth.
Correct Answer: 1.1

level: 3

18. The equation below models the height, h, in feet above the
water for a cable in a suspension bridge at a horizontal
distance, x, in feet from the beginning of the span.
h=0.0002(x1,955)2+100
How many feet above the water is the lowest point on the cable?
Correct Answer: 100 feet

level: 3

19. P(s)=(sa)2+b
The Yerkes-Dodson law predicts that the relationship between stress
level, s, and performance, P(s), of a difficult task can be modeled by
a function of the form shown above, where a and b are constants
related to the measures of stress and performance for a particular
task. What is the best interpretation of a in this context?
A. a is the level of stress at which performance is minimal.
B. a is the level of peak performance.
C. a is the level of stress at which performance is maximal.
D. a is the level of stress at which performance is

1
2

of maximal

performance.
Correct Answer: C level: 3

20. F(t)= (0.95) 2

The function F(t) defined above gives the percentage of information
Dianna retained t days after memorizing lines for a play. Assuming

she did not work on her lines again, what is the best description
of 0.95 in this context?
A. Dianna will forget 95% of what she retained one day ago.
B. Dianna will forget 95% of what she retained two days ago.
C. Dianna will remember 95% of what she retained one day ago.
D. Dianna will remember 95% of what she retained two days ago.
Correct Answer: D level: 4

21. The

amount

of

water

vapor, v (in

grams),

that

will

saturate 1 kilogram of dry air when the temperature is d degrees

Celsius is approximated by the following equation.
v=4.041.07x
For each increase of 1 degree, what is the percent increase in the
amount of water vapor required to saturate the air according to this
model?
(Do not type the percent sign.)
Correct Answer: 7 %

level: 4

22. The administrators of a factory modeled the cumulative average

construction time in minutes per engine component as a function
of the total number of components their employees had
constructed, n, using the following function:
T(n)=3.5+70.9n
What was the cumulative average time for an employee to construct
one engine component when they first began?
Correct Answer: 10.5 minutes per engine component

level:

4
23. r=0.5(1.2)
A certain type of mollusk has a shell in the shape of a spiral, as
shown below. The distance, r, from the origin to a point on the spiral

is modeled by the equation above, where is the angle, in radians,

measured counterclockwise from the positive xx-axis to the same
point on the spiral. What is the best description of 0.5 in this
formula?

A. 0.5 is the rate of increase of the radius per 2 radians.

B. 0.5 is the ratio of radii that differ by 2 radians.
C. 0.5 units is the length of the radius corresponding to =0.
D. 0.5 units is the length of the radius corresponding to =2.
Correct Answer: C level: 4

24. According to Bernoulli's equation below, the product of the

area, A1, of a cross-section of a hose at a particular point and the
velocity, V1, of water traveling through the hose at that point will
be equal to the product of the area, A2, of a second cross-section
of the same hose at a second point and the velocity, V2, of water
traveling through the hose at the second point.
A1V1=A2V2
If someone covers

1
4

of the opening of a hose, how will the

velocity of the water coming out of the hose change?

A. The velocity of the water through the partially covered opening

will be

1
4

of the velocity through the full opening.

B. The velocity of the water through the partially covered opening

will be

3
4

of the velocity through the full opening.

C. The velocity of the water through the partially covered opening

will be

4
3

of the velocity through the full opening.

D. The velocity of the water through the partially covered opening

will be 4 times the velocity through the full opening.
Correct Answer: C level: 4

25. P(t)=400(1.5)t
Biologists stocked a lake with a new species of fish. The number of
the new species of fish in the lake, P(t), t years after being stocked,
is shown above. How many fish did the biologists initially add to the
lake?
Correct Answer: 400

26. A(x) =

level: 4

20,000+ 0.15 x
x

A doughnut franchise has determined that its average cost per unit
(doughnut), A(x), is given by the above function, where x is the
number of units produced, x>0. Which of the following best
describes what happens to the average cost per doughnut as the
number of doughnuts produced increases?
A. The average cost gets closer and closer to 0.
B. The average cost gets closer and closer to $0.15 per doughnut.
C. The average cost is $0.15 per doughnut.
D. The

average

doughnut.

cost

gets

closer

and

closer

to $20,000 per

Correct Answer: B level: 4

27. Reem is a test driver for an automobile company. The following

formula gives the total distance,d, in feet that Reem drove a
luxury car in the first t seconds after idling at a speed of 0 miles
per hour, up to the time when she passed a particular safety
cone.
d=15.69t2
Compared to the time it took Reem to pass the safety cone, how
long did it take to pass a sensor that was

4
9

of the distance from

the start?
A.

16
81

B.

4
9

of the time it required to pass the cone

C.

2
3

of the time it required to pass the cone

D.

9
4

of the time it required to pass the cone

of the time it required to pass the cone

Correct Answer: C level: 4

28. The

temperature T in

degrees

Celsius

of

chilled

drink

after mm minutes sitting on a table is given by the following

function.
T(m)=322830.05m
What is the best interpretation of the number 32 in this function?
A. The drink is originally 32 degrees Celsius.
B. Every 32 minutes, the temperature warms by 3 degrees Celsius.
C. After 32 minutes, the drink will fully warm to the ambient
temperature.

D. After sitting for a very long time, the drink will warm up
to 32 degrees Celsius.
Correct Answer: D level: 4