Question

One of the rules in a public speaking contest requires contestants to speak for as close to
5
55 minutes
(
300
(300left parenthesis, 300 seconds
)
)right parenthesis as possible. Contestants lose
3
33 points for each second they speak either over or under
5
55 minutes. Which expression below can be used to determine the number of points a contestant loses if she speaks for
x
xx seconds?
Choose 1 answer:

(Choice A)
A
3
∣
x
−
300
∣

Answer 1

Question:

One of the rules in a public speaking contest requires contestants to speak for as close to 5 minutes (300 seconds) as possible. Contestants lose 3 points for each second they speak either over or under 5 minutes. Which expression below can be used to determine the number of points a contestant loses if she speaks for x seconds?

Answer:

$Lost = 300(x - 3)$

Step-by-step explanation:

Given

$Time = 300s$

$Lost = 3\ points$ each

Required

Points lost for x seconds

First, we calculate the total possible points gained.

$Total = 300 * 3$

$Total = 900$

Next, we calculate the total points acquired for x seconds

$Points = 300 * x$

$Points = 300x$

The lost is then calculated using:

$Lost = Points - Total$

$Lost = 300x - 900$

Factorize:

$Lost = 300(x - 3)$