Ricardo pays a $70 sign-up fee to join a fitness center and $30 for each month of his membership. The equation C = 30m + 70 gives the total cost for m months. Which statement correctly describes what happens when m increases?
The number of months increases, but the sign-up fee and the total cost stay the same.
The number of months and the total cost increase, but the sign-up fee stays the same.
The number of months, the sign-up fee, and the total cost all increase.
The total cost increases, but the number of months and the sign-up fee stay the same.
The correct statement is: The number of months and the total cost increase, but the sign-up fee stays the same.
Explanation: In the equation ( C = 30m + 70 ), ( m ) represents the number of months. As ( m ) increases (more months of membership), the total cost ( C ) also increases because it is directly proportional to the number of months due to the term ( 30m ). However, the sign-up fee of $70 is a one-time payment and does not change regardless of how many months Ricardo pays for.